The Storm and the Hawk
by Stormhawk fan SHhype
Summary: Atmos AU. Cyclonia is defeated and has been for the last 30 years, in that time Cyclonians have been segregated or outright enslaved depending on location and all children of this Atmos have been raised to believe that Cyclonians are scum. Beneath what appears to be an Atmos of Peace and order however, lie dark secrets, secrets that threaten our young heroes and indeed all of Atmos
1. Prologue

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters, locations, equipment etc used in this story, it exists purely because I want it to**

 **WARNING: This chapter (and story) contain themes of violence, torture, segregation, slavery and death (not necessarily in that order). Graphic content has been kept to a minimum to avoid M rating, even so, viewer discretion is advised**

 **(Stormhawk fan SHhype enters from stage right)**

 **Greetings all and welcome, my name is Stormhawk fan SHhype, and welcome to my second Story on this site. For those of you joining us from Choices, welcome back, for all you newbies out there, my warmest greetings. As stated above this story is a dark one and viewer discretion is advised, if you do not wish to view any of the themes listed above please return to your previous page... for those of you who are staying, _welcome to my domain mortals MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA -_ ahem, excuse me. **

**Anyway, this story is set in an AU of Atmos where Cyclonia actually lost the war, some years before the birth of our heroes, who have grown up in this world, yes that means there is NO Cyclonian Empire in this story, so I'm sure your wondering, "Well who are the villains then?" my dear readers, you'll just have to read on to find out who's good and who's bad, as I love nothing better than taking good and bad, tossing them in a blender, then sitting back to watch the fun.**

 **So, Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, Dear Readers ( _and mortals_ ) all, Welcome to...**

* * *

 **The Storm and the Hawk**

 _ **Prologue**_

The girl's eyes fluttered open to stare at a blank, featureless, grey ceiling, just as she had for the last 9 years. She lay on a modest bed, it couldn't be called luxurious by any means, but it was at least comfortable and not hard or lumpy. Still like the ceiling it was simple, bland, nothing more than a mattress, a sheet, some pillows and a grey duvet, the rest of the room mirrored this, everything was simple, bland, no colour or feeling in any object, grey and featureless, would describe the room adequately, despite the fact that it had – in addition to the bed – a table with which to eat at and a desk to read and write. Not that the girl did much of that, most of her time was either spent in her bed, or outside this room – where she _least_ wanted to be – the only other thing in the room was a portioned off area that contained a shower, toilet, sink and mirror to wash up and stay clean. The girl herself was dressed in grey fatigues, again no colour, no feeling, just bland featurelessness, the only splash of colour were the girl's eyes and hair, her eyes were violet in colour, currently they were dark - like storm clouds raged behind them - but for a split second as she awoke, they were light, almost a rosy pink colour. Her hair was a dark violet/black and came to just above her shoulders, she was roughly fifteen years of age, though her eyes would have scared many people if they could see them, a common citizen would say they were the eyes of a wild beast, a monster. A politician would have said they were the eyes of a crazy person, a scientist would have said they were the eyes of pure unbridled power. A soldier on the other hand would have said they were the eyes of someone who has seen or experienced that which they _never_ should have, nor should _any_ person live through.

As the girl lay on her bed, a voice came through the speaker overhead, "Good morning Subject C, how are you feeling today?" said the female voice

"Fine," the girl replied emotionlessly

The female voice then spoke again, "Administrator Long Feng is on his way for your morning routine, so hurry up and eat breakfast, you don't want to be late to your appointment."

The girl sighed and got out of bed, she went over to the only door in the room, it was large, metal and heavy with a grill to look through at head height and a smaller slot down at the bottom, which now opened before a plate of food was pushed through

The girl picked it up and took it to the table, as she sat down the voice spoke again, "What do you say Subject C?" it asked

The girl bowed her head and replied "Thank you for this meal and for feeding that which is lower than trash."

"Very good, you may begin eating now," the voice acknowledged

The girl gratefully began to eat, in all her 9 years of being here she did have one good thing to say, at least they fed her well, so long as she behaved. At first she hadn't, in what little memory she had that remained of that time she knew she had fought, struggled, tried to escape, though the reason _why_ now eluded her. As time had passed however her struggles had lessened, and she had learned her proper place here, she was nothing but a subject, she didn't even have a name just 'Subject C', and that she _must_ obey any and all orders given to her

Just as she finished eating, the door to her room opened and in walked a man, he was average height, had grey blue eyes and black hair done in a style that left his forehead and the crown of his head completely bald, but gave him a long ponytail that went all the way down to the small of his back. He also had a small goatee and mustache combo all neatly styled and pointed, the look was completed by a black robe with gold trimming that came down to his ankles, this was Long Feng, the administrator of the facility they were in, and 'Subject C's' only human contact. When you consider that he was also her warden and torturer, the true scope of the dead look in the girl's eyes begins to make sense

Long Feng sat in the only other chair in the room, across from the girl and smiled at her, "Good morning Subject C, sleep well?" he asked

The girl simply nodded, "Anything you want to tell me today, any dreams?"

The girl attempted to bite her tongue and stay silent, but her body responded before she could stop it, "Yes," she replied

Long Feng smiled and sat back, "Tell me about it," he said

"I'm standing on the deck of a ship, blue skies surround me, I can feel the wind on my face, the sun's warmth," the girl replies

Long Feng nods, this was nothing new, she'd had this dream many times, though it _had_ become a regular occurrence. However, the girl keeps going, "And there's someone with me."

Now Long Feng sits forward, interested, "Who?"

The girl shakes her head, "I don't know, I can't see them very well, I can only make out a few details."

Long Feng gestures her to continue, so she does "I see blue tinted hair, dark skin, but blue clothes, with splashes of orange here and there, there's also a band of orange around her head as well, but the feature I remember most clearly is her eyes, amber and sparkling."

Long Feng listens to all this with growing worry, 'Subject C' had _never_ dreamt of another person before, this was a troubling development, _and so late in the proceedings as well_. "Is this the first time you've dreamt of this person?" he asked his face very serious

Subject C nodded quickly her face now fearful "I'm not in trouble am I Mr Feng, please I didn't mean to do anything wrong," she begged, tears brimming in her eyes

Long Feng took pity on her, they were only dreams after all, "Its okay my dear, you can't control your dreams, I'm not angry, just concerned, just please make sure to tell me if you have this dream again ok."

Subject C nodded "Yes Mr Feng I will, I promise," she replied

"Good, then we shall begin with today's tests, we'll start with your combat aptitude, you know the way of course," Long Feng said, to which the girl nodded, "Good, two guards will escort you, and I shall watch you from the observation deck, understood?"

"Yes Mr Feng," the girl replied as she stood and made her way to the door, which opened automatically for her, on the other side were two guards dressed in a bland grey uniform complete with helmets that covered their heads and faces

As the girl left, Long Feng stayed seated and looked around the room, down in a corner near the bed he noticed something hidden behind one of the bed's legs, he got up and went over to the bed. The frame was made of a light material so it was easy to move, behind the leg he saw a scratching of a bird, it resembled a Hawk, _how odd, the conditioning is still in place, but this dream, and this scratching, what could they mean?_ Long Feng's concern was elevated from the fact that Subject C had gone to lengths to _hide_ this rather than draw it on the paper she was provided –not that she _ever_ drew anything these days – 9 years she'd been here, and there had _never_ been anything like this, what did it all mean, well he'd find out during the combat aptitude

* * *

Subject C walked down bare concrete corridors, the only thing distinguishing one from another were the colored lines along the floor, each one led to a different place, Subject C was currently following the red line while two guards followed her every move. She eventually reached her destination, going through a set of large and heavy double doors which closed behind her; she was now inside a large domed space with doors set at regular intervals around the entire circumference. Near the door she had come through was a table with a number of different crystals on the surface, ready for use

Long Feng's voice soon came through the speakers positioned around the room, "Alright Subject C, we'll begin with something simple," he stated, as he did, several doors around the room opened to allow in about half a dozen robots, they jerked and jittered – _training mechs_ Subject C thought – as they approached her, crystal blasters raised. "Destroy all your opponents in the most efficient manner possible," Long Feng continued

Subject C nodded and quickly picked up a smooth white crystal, as well as a jagged blue one, as she did, she activated the white crystal creating a shield around herself, just as the mechs began shooting, crystal blasts began impacting her shield as the mechs continued to move towards her, drawing closer to one another as they did. Subject C waited until they were forced to change clips, and then lowered her shield, she then stuck out her blue crystal, activating it, her body thrumming with power as from the hand she held it, a lightning bolt erupted. It hit the closest mech causing it to begin spasming, the bolt then jumped to the next closest mech as Subject C continued to pump power into the crystal. From mech to mech the bolt jumped faster than a human could blink until they were all spasming, before each one exploded from the overload of power. Subject C cut the power to the crystal and lowered and dropped the now burned out crystal

"Very good Subject C, now let's try something a little harder," Long Feng said as another set of doors opened, letting in a pack of Terra Blizzarian wolves, from their lean bodies they had clearly been starved, so upon sighting the young teen, they immediately began moving into hunt formation. Subject C calmly turned to the table and made a new crystal selection. The wolves, despite their hunger, moved cautiously, their prey while young, smelt wrong, like the last embers of a fire, and the strange metal corpses scattered around her _screamed_ danger to the wolves. Eventually, hunger overcame caution and the lead wolf leapt in, looking for an easy kill, he hit nothing but air, one moment Subject C was standing still, the next, she was behind him, velocity crystal in hand. Her free hand formed into a fist which she drove into the pack leaders back with savage force, the wolf gave a yelp of pain before slamming into the ground, and stayed there, unmoving, blood oozing from his side. The other wolves now backed away slightly, but hunger drove them on, this time however, they went in together, charging their prey from multiple different angles, Subject C simply pulled another crystal from her pocket, it was round and bright yellow, she lifted it above her head while closing her eyes as a bright _flash_ filled the room. The wolves collapsed temporarily blinded, while they were disoriented, Subject C used her velocity crystal to neutralize each and every one of them, in seconds each wolf was laying on the floor, either dead or close to it

"Excellent work Subject C, your skills as always are incredible, now for a real challenge," Long Feng praised as one of the larger doors opened, revealing a monster from the black gorge, a Giant poison-tooth Spiny Gorge Sloth. Subject C quickly snatched a new crystal from the table as the sloth gave a roar and began charging towards her, as it reached her however, Subject C held out a red crystal towards the monster. The sloth suddenly found itself rising into the air, it flailed around uselessly before Subject C raised her free hand which was now sparking with dark violet energy, then she thrust her second hand towards the sloth causing lightning to erupt from her finger tips, not a large single bolt like the crystal had created, these were meant for a single target, and that target, was the sloth. The beast _screamed_ pathetically in Subject C's grip the sound echoing around the room as Long Feng looked on, carefully observing Subject C's face, _no remorse, no mercy, completely dedicated to her goal, yes, she is almost ready, a perfectly honed weapon, just one more test I think_. The sloth's screams suddenly stopped, and Subject C released it, the limp corpse collapsed to the ground with a _bang_ kicking up dust from the floor

"Marvelous Subject C, very well done, we have one more test today, then we'll be done with the combat aptitude," Long Feng said as one last door opened, through it were shoved half a dozen people in the same prison uniforms that Subject C herself wore, "These men and women are traitors to our glorious Republic, their sentence is death, I want _you_ to execute them Subject C."

One of the people looked up towards the observation room, "You coward Long Feng, get down here and do it yourself!" he shouted

"Why should I, when it's so much more poetic for my newest weapon to do it for me," Long Feng replied, a smile plastered on his face

The man who had spoken looked towards Subject C, and his eyes widened in _horror_ , "What have you done to her!" he exclaimed

Long Feng offered him no reply, "Kill them Subject C, and you training will be complete," he simply stated

Most of the prisoners turned away in fear and began banging on the now closed door they'd just come through begging to be let out, Subject C turned towards them slowly, but this time she hesitated, these weren't wild beasts, they were people, and currently they were no threat to her. "But Long Feng sir, they're not a threat, there's no need to kill them," she responded

"DON'T QUESTION ORDERS SUBJECT C, KILL THEM NOW AS INSTRUCTED, OR DO I HAVE TO DISCIPLINE YOU!" Long Feng shouted

Subject C winced at his words, before turning to the prisoners, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," she said as she began advancing on them, sparks forming around her right hand, tears streaming down her face

"Commander Osprey, what do we do?" one of the prisoners asked fearfully

The man beside him simply collapsed to his knees in defeat "What can we do?" he replied, the prisoners closest to him looked at the Commander aghast, then one of them turned towards Subject C

"FOR CYCLONIA!" he cried as he ran at her, the others tried to call him back, but it was too late, lightning engulfed him and he began _screaming_ in agony, seconds later he dropped to the floor dead

More valiant but futile cries filled the air around Osprey, quickly followed by the screams of the dying, then a shadow settled over him and he looked up into the eyes of his Terra's Princess, they were filled with tears, but her body obeyed the orders it had been given as her right arm was leveled at his head. "I forgive you, your highness, to die at your hands is an honor," he said, before bowing his head once more

Subject C's arm began to shake, she was torn between orders, and the fact that the threat had been taken care of, this man – who looked to be in his late 50's – was no threat to her, and yet she had been ordered to kill him. She squeezed her eyes shut and let out a scream as a bolt of lightning shot from her hand

Osprey opened his eyes in shock and looked to his left to see a scorch mark marring the ground, while _he_ was unharmed, he looked up again at the girl standing over him, she stood there panting hard, the energy around her right arm dying down. Then Long Feng's voice filled the air again, "Disappointing, take the prisoner back to his cell, as for you _Subject C_ , report to lab 3, NOW!"

A couple of harsh sobs emanated from Subject C before she turned and began walking to the door she had originally come through, Osprey meanwhile was grabbed by two guards and hauled to his feet, before being dragged back to the door behind him. Osprey however, could not take his eyes off the girl who had just spared his life, _she's still in there, somewhere, but she's buried so deep, and who knows what horrors Long Feng has in store for her now_. Then the doors shut behind him, and she was lost from view

Subject C entered a new room, it was stark white and contained only a single object, a chair, from this chair however were a multitude of arms, each with a different instrument of torture attached to the ends, from the speakers came Long Feng's voice, "Take a seat Subject C," he ordered emotionlessly. Subject C began to sob as her body robotically obeyed the order, despite the fact that her mind was _screaming_ and _begging_ for mercy, once she was seated, the guards who had accompanied her strapped her in before leaving the way they had come. With a hum of power the chair came to life, "I regret that I must do this Subject C, you've been doing so well, I haven't needed to do this for several years now, but if you do not _obey_ orders, then you _must_ be punished." One of the arms began making its way towards her, the end sparked with electricity, Subject C sobbed hysterically as it neared her

On the other side of the door the guards stood unmoving as the girl's screams of pain and anguish echoed down the corridor.

* * *

Osprey sat in his cell, deep in thought, then a timed knock came from his cell door, "Your running out of time Ace, there's so little of her left, a spark does remain, but it's so small, in danger of being snuffed out completely, you need to tell her highness to hurry, or she'll lose her sister for good," Osprey said

There was no reply, but Osprey was not concerned, there usually wasn't, not after they'd first made contact, Osprey sighed, "I'm sorry I couldn't be more help to you, to her, please extend my sincerest apologies to her highness, I wasn't strong enough to save the princess."

"Don't be a fool, you've been an enormous help Osprey, you've served her highness and her sister well, the Master sends her thanks as well," a voice said from the other side of the cell

Osprey felt tears brim in his eyes, and then took a breath, "Promise me you'll save her, promise me you'll get the princess out of this hell hole."

"I promise Osprey, Princess Lark Cyclonis will be reunited with her family, if necessary, I will _die_ to make it happen."

Osprey nodded, satisfied, "That's all I ask... goodbye Ace, I imagine this will be the last time we speak to one another."

"Goodbye Osprey, and remember, Cyclonia lives," Ace replied, before walking off to give his report

"Cyclonia lives," Osprey repeated, a contented smile on his face, then the sound of heavy boots began echoing down the hall, _ah, my executioners have come... stay strong your highness, your sister is coming for you, you will see your family again, I promise_. Then his cell door opened, there was a flash and Osprey crumpled to the floor.

* * *

 ** _To be continued dear mortals, MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!  
_ ahem, I should really get that looked at... please leave a review if your liking this story so far, and as always constructive criticism is welcome  
**


	2. Chp1: Past and Present

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters, locations, equipment etc used in this story, it exists purely because I want it to**

 **WARNING: This Story contain themes of violence, torture, segregation, slavery and death (not necessarily in that order). Graphic content has been kept to a minimum to avoid M rating, even so, viewer discretion is advised (yes I shall be putting this warning on every chapter just in case)**

 **(in addition there is a deliberately censored word in this one, I'm desperately trying to avoid an M rating while at the same time going as Dark as I can)  
**

 **Hello all and welcome to the first chapter of this story, I hope the prologue got you all hyped for the rest of this, sadly I'm afraid if you're looking for action your going to have to wait until the next chapter, cause this one is going to be mainly world building, going over what happened to end the war in Atmosia's favor as well as Piper's own personal journey to the start of this story.**

 **Don't like that, well suck it up, _this fictional world is MY twisted Domain, I make the rules and I determine the SEVERITY of your PUNISHMENT!_**

 **Ahem, excuse me, lets just start this thing shall we  
**

 **Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, Dear Readers ( _and Mortals_ ) all, welcome back to, The Storm and the Hawk**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 1: Past and present**_

How does one describe Piper Zanni of Terra Mesa? Well if you were to ask her teachers, they would say she is a dedicated and determined student, always willing and eager to learn more. If you asked her friends, they'd say she was a bubbly cheerful spirit, always with a smile on her face, though she was very emotional and hated to see suffering, no matter what it was. Her family would say she was kind, generous, sincere and caring, in short, the best daughter they could have asked for. That would be a basic psychological profile, as for what she actually _looks_ like, she was a fifteen year old girl, despite her youth however, she already had a lithe cat-like frame. Her skin was chocolate brown, while her dark hair had a natural blue tint, but by far her most dazzling feature was her eyes, sparkling amber orbs set in a pretty face that had had every boy since the upper years of secondary school falling head over heels for her.

This story begins sometime shortly after Piper turned 15, about the time of the end of year exams at Traven Academy, but I'm sure you're wondering, 'What in Atmos's name is Traven Academy?' worry not dear readers, for while this story does _begin_ during the end of year exams, _every_ good story needs a backdrop, a history, and boy, does this story have a _history_... are you sitting comfortably, good, then let's begin

* * *

30 years prior to the beginning of our tale, the Free Atmos was at war with the Cyclonian Empire, for much of the war Cyclonian dominated, having greater manpower, resources and technology. Indeed, the Free Atmos only held on in the war thanks to the Skyknights, a group of selfless individuals dedicated to protecting Atmos, by their actions Cyclonia was kept at bay, but Atmosia – the lead Terra of the Free Atmos alliance – knew that it could not last. Enter Long Feng, at the time a young but dedicated crystal mage and scientist; it was Long Feng who began developing new weapons with which to wage war with against Cyclonia, supported by the Atmosian Council. Thanks to Long Feng's innovations, Terra Atmosia was able to create a new fighting force that would make up the bulk of the Free Atmos army, and it was called, The Atmosian Liberation Force, or ALF for short. The combined strength of both the Skyknights and ALF was able to begin turning the tide against Cyclonia, so successful was this force that Terra's that were once on the fence began flocking to the Atmosian Council and prompted the creation of the Atmosian Senate, a single governing body for all the Free Terra's of Atmos whose seat of power was Terra Atmosia.

As the Skyknights and ALF advanced deeper and deeper into Cyclonian territory, more and more Terra's were brought into the fold, until finally, only Terra Cyclonia remained. The Cyclonians gathered their entire fleet (or what remained of it) around their home Terra and dug themselves in, the battle of Terra Cyclonia would decide the fate of the entire Atmos, and if the Cyclonians lost, they would not be a part of that fate. The battle lasted for days, with the Atmosian Liberation Force bombarding the Terra, trying to pummel the Cyclonians into submission, just as the Cyclonians had done to other Terra's during the war. The Cyclonians refused to give in however, fighting tooth and nail for their home Terra, during this the Skyknights could only look on at the horror they had allowed to claim Atmos. They were meant to be the Atmos' defenders, protectors, and yet now they were watching as those they had defended, became the very thing the Skyknights had defended them from. Eventually Cyclonia could take no more and the Terra surrendered, but it was only with the Terra's capture that the Atmosians learned that Master Cyclonis – leader of the Cyclonian Empire – had fled with her son and a cadre of loyal followers, and those that the Atmosians captured stated words that would haunt the Skyknights forever, "Cyclonia _lives_!"

Despite this, Terra Cyclonia had been defeated, their fleet destroyed, their forces crushed, and what little remained of their forces no longer posed any threat, if they did ever return, Atmosia would be waiting. Terra Cyclonia was occupied and the majority of its population displaced to other Terra's and segregated into camps, most Terra's allowed the Cyclonians to live peacefully enough, but prejudice was heavy and Cyclonians were treated as little better than second class citizens, or worse. For other Terra's, hatred of Cyclonia ran _deep_ , the Cyclonians who ended up on these Terra's were forced into slavery and were constantly brutalized and abused, treated like animals, many of these Cyclonians lost hope and fell into a despairing acceptance of their fate. That was until about 15 years after the war had ended.

On a day that seemed to be no different than any other in Atmos, the Skyknights worst fears came true as the peace was _shattered_. A small band of Cyclonians attacked a segregation camp in order to free the Cyclonians held prisoner there, they were led by Corvin Cyclonis, son of Master Anarchis Cyclonis, leader of Cyclonia. On that day the words "Cyclonia lives!" were heard on every Terra and the Senate responded with unrelenting _fury_. They tasked Long Feng – now the head of Atmosia's shadow Ops and lead military scientist – with finishing off the last of the Cyclonian Empire, and remind the Atmos of the Senate's power. Long Feng delivered, though it took him six years to track down the Cyclonians hide out, he was still able to bring the resistance to its knees, during his attack the majority of the Cyclonians resistance forces were killed, along with Corvin Cyclonis and his wife Cecilia Cyclonis, their deaths made public to all of Atmos. Now even _if_ the remainder of the Cyclonians continued to evade them, there was now no one to continue the Cyclonis line, Anarchis was too old to have any more children and she couldn't live forever, it seemed the resistance was doomed to die a slow and painful death and was practically forgotten.

* * *

Piper grew up during the time between Corvin's attack and present day, and of course heard about all the news regarding the resistance's fight against the Senate. For most children, their thoughts were that the Cyclonians were getting what they deserved... for Piper however it was different, she pitied the Cyclonians, she didn't see them as animals like most did, but people, many of whom had _nothing_ to do with the war as they had either been children at the time, or hadn't even been born by the time the war ended. Piper was not the only person in Atmos to feel this way, but unfortunately, they were in the minority. Despite not liking what was being done to the Cyclonians, Piper did not let it drag her down and focused instead on her studies, believing that when she was an important scientist of Atmos her words of tolerance and understanding would carry more weight. This path lead to the discovery of her Crystal Mage abilities, which happened one day at school when Piper was about 9 years old.

Piper's class had been split into pairs, each pair conducting the same basic chemistry experiment and using a cooking crystal as a heat source for the experiment. Unfortunately, the school at which Piper attended did not have the greatest of budgets, so the cooking crystals were of poor quality; this meant the experiments were going slowly as the students needed to wait for the water in their beakers to reach a certain temperature. Piper – gloves and safety goggles on – was fiddling with the cooking crystal she and her lab partner – her childhood friend Finn – were using, as she did the thought, _if it burned just a bit hotter this would go quicker_ , entered her head. The moment it did, a _surge_ of energy ran down her arm, through her fingers and into the crystal causing it to go into overload and explode. As Piper was wearing her protective gear she was _thankfully_ not injured, and the explosion was small enough that it didn't reach anyone else... it _did_ however make a loud noise and cause Piper to fall backwards over her chair. The entire class went into a frenzy at the sudden explosion before their teacher was able to calm everyone down and reach a sobbing Piper who was crying mainly due to shock and thinking she was now in trouble rather than actually being hurt.

The teacher told Finn to go and get another member of staff while he took Piper over to a corner and telling the other students to get on with their experiments. Once Finn returned with another teacher in tow – who had a quick discussion with Piper and Finn's teacher – Piper was taken to see the principle, only adding to her fear that she was in trouble, it was anything but. Upon reaching the principal's office, Piper's teacher explained what had happened, and here Piper learned that she was a Crystal Mage, one of only a rare few blessed with the ability to manipulate raw crystal, which was the basis for _all_ of Atmos' technology. This was a significant development for a few reasons, due to their rarity and the fact that Crystal Mage's were usually all people of _great_ intellect, every education establishment in the Atmos practically _fought_ for the opportunity to have a Crystal Mage join their student body. This ultimately meant that Piper was now eligible for almost _any_ high school after graduating from secondary school, the news stunned both Piper and her family – once she told them – but despite pretty much having a free ticket into some of the _best_ high schools out there, Piper continued to study, determined to actually _earn_ her place rather than simply take it.

This dedication attracted the attention of an institute that Piper had had her eye on since she had begun thinking about graduation, and that was Traven Academy. The Academy had been founded by a Terra Mesian, though it had been constructed on Terra Atmosia, the founder was Alexander Traven, formerly of the now defunct Interceptors of Terra Mesa. The Academy was _the_ most prestigious institute for education in the _entire_ Atmos, already boasting the highest test scores and ex students who had gone on to become great scholars, artist, musicians, engineers, _even_ Skyknights, yes Traven Academy also trained Skyknights, in fact combat training was mandatory for _all_ students, though the majority of this training was purely self-defense. Piper had wanted to go to the Academy ever since their teachers at her school on Terra Mesa discussed graduation options to her and the other students, now not only was it possible, but it might even be easier than Piper first thought. Still, she wisely kept her options open, looking at several other schools in the first part of her last year at secondary school, her status as a Crystal Mage meant that practically every school she applied for was _begging_ her to enrol. As it turned out, Traven Academy was no different, but they were more subtle about it, and eventually they delivered their trump card by offering Piper a _full_ academic scholarship if she enrolled at the Academy, meaning if Piper enrolled, the cost of her education there would be practically _nothing_.

Piper's family wasn't poor, but they weren't exactly wealthy either, so the scholarship sealed the deal, the _best_ education for next to _nothing_ in terms of cost, it was a no brainer, so after graduating from secondary school, Piper was on her way to Traven Academy. It did mean becoming a boarding student and moving away from her family and friends, but Piper was determined and her friends and family were happy for her, Piper made sure to spend as much of the summer as she could with them before the new school year began.

When Piper arrived at Traven Academy, it was both _everything_ she'd dreamed, and _nothing_ like she had expected. Upon arrival, Piper discovered that her new status as a Crystal Mage was a double edged sword, while it _had_ made it easier to get into the school she wanted, it also drew a lot of hate from the other students, and Piper quickly found out why. Piper was currently the _only_ Crystal Mage at the Academy, this meant that a large majority of the other students had got in on merit _alone_ and they felt (especially the ones with parents who could _actually_ afford the standard of education provided by the Academy) that Piper had _cheated_ her way in with her Crystal Mage status. This was especially true for the group of Students Piper did _not_ expect to see there... Cyclonians

* * *

Despite Corvin Cyclonis's attempted rebellion, it _had_ been many years since then and many Cyclonians still lived peacefully throughout Atmos; these Cyclonians had then found a new avenue with which to fight for their rights, _politics_. When a great number of Cyclonian students had excelled in the state funded schools – to the point where they had done better than their Atmosian equivalents – the Cyclonians had begun pushing to get the Senate to allow those students to be accepted into higher tier schools based on their merits. At first this had been met with great resistance, the Senate outright _refusing_ to accept their demands, but the Cyclonians kept pushing, launching non-violent protests in the streets of the Terra's where they lived. Eventually they gained support from Atmosians who began pushing the Senate as well, after some years the Senate finally caved and agreed to the demands so long as certain conditions were met, these included a limit of no more than a dozen Cyclonian students at schools that were outside of the state provided education system for the Cyclonians. The conditions were accepted and now Cyclonian students were able to graduate to schools that were – up until that point – off limits to them.

This was how Piper met Starling, a young Cyclonian student at Traven Academy who was a couple years older than Piper, and Starling had _no_ love for Piper due to the fact that she and indeed _every_ Cyclonian who attended the Academy had worked even _harder_ than their Atmosian counterparts to _be_ there thanks to the prejudice against them. To Starling and the other Cyclonians, Piper was an example of Atmosian favouritism in its _purest_ form, something they _loathed_ , and they began giving Piper the evil eye from the moment they first saw her. Piper for her part had attempted to be the better person by trying to be friendly, an act that was thrown in her face, Piper had approached Starling and her cohorts one lunchtime during the first week of Piper's first year at the Academy. After greeting them however Starling had responded by telling Piper to _"Get lost,_ " and that they didn't need an _"Atmosian Crystal Mage toady,"_ as a friend, hearing that Piper had stormed off after saying that she was only trying to be nice to them, Piper purposely avoided Starling and the other Cyclonians after that. Luckily Piper soon learned that if she left the Cyclonians alone, then they would leave her alone, and considering that she felt they had a right to be angry that other students needed to do far less to get in allowed her to forgive them for their attitude

The same could not be said for the other students who had a go at Piper for being a Crystal Mage, many of whom were stuck up rich kids who looked down on Piper and her common background. Piper did not have to face them alone however, as she did make two friends there, they were both boarding students like her and they were _both_ in most of her classes, they were Aerrow Strike and Dove Gale. Both of them had got in through scholarships like Piper and as such, like Piper got a lot of fire from other students, not as much as Piper, but enough that they felt that Piper was more a kindred spirit than rival. After their first meeting, Piper, Aerrow and Dove grew closer to one another and became fast friends, looking out for one another and standing by each other no matter what. Aerrow's scholarship was for athletics, though he was more interested in becoming a Skyknight, like his dad – who'd disappeared not long after Aerrow was born – Dove meanwhile had a science scholarship, though she was also a very talented artist and had joined the Academy's Art Club not long after enrolling as a hobby. Aerrow was courageous, loyal and determined, while Dove shared many of Piper's traits, kind, generous, caring, but she was also understanding and patient, Piper couldn't have asked for better friends while attending Traven Academy.

Even though Piper had decided to purposely leave the Cyclonians alone, there was just something about Starling that drew Piper's attention, the way she seemed to act and behave just felt weird to her. This meant that Piper was always keeping at least one eye on Starling and this lead to an encounter in Piper's second year that would change Starling's outlook on the young Atmosian.

* * *

Piper had been heading back to her dorm one evening after studying with Aerrow and Dove in the library, Piper was almost back when she past the dorms that the Cyclonians were housed, just outside of them she saw Starling and two other Cyclonians doing something with a sheet at one of the communal sinks, a bare mattress also stood nearby. Curious, Piper approached, as she got closer she saw that there was writing on the sheet, and the mattress looked like it had been torn open then stitched back up. Then Piper detected the smell, it was coming from the mattress and reminded Piper of _raw_ sewage, covering her nose and mouth, Piper looked back towards the Cyclonians and now saw the writing, though smudged from the water Starling and her friends were using to clean it, the words were still legible

It read _"You're a piece of s*%? Cyclonian, so sleep in it!"_

Piper stared at the words aghast, even giving a small gasp when she saw it, a gasp that Starling and her fellow Cyclonians heard; they whipped round towards her, _glaring_. "What do _you_ want? I thought I told you to leave us alone!" Starling snapped angrily

"I was just wondering what was going on, I'm sorry..." but Piper was interrupted by the male Cyclonian, a big bulked out fellow with dark violet hair and dark violet eyes

"Starling told you to get lost, or maybe you'd like to _confess_ something!" he snarled

"Snipe, control yourself!" the unknown female Cyclonian – who was a female version of Snipe, though she sounded _far_ more intelligent – snapped before turning to Piper, "Though he raises a good point... _are_ you responsible for this!?" she demanded while glaring angrily at Piper

The two siblings advanced on Piper... until Starling stopped them, "Enough!" Starling snapped, stepping in front of them, then turning to the scared Piper, "I asked you a question, what do you want? I won't repeat myself again."

Piper looked from her to the two angry siblings, then back to Starling, before taking a breath and bringing herself to her full height, "I'm sorry for the intrusion, I was just wondering what was going on," Piper stated apologetically

Starling examined Piper for a moment, before sighing and turning away from her, "Leave her, and help me with this, she's clearly got nothing to do with this," Starling said sternly to the two older students, who obeyed her after only a moment's hesitation

Piper was stunned to see these older students taking orders from someone younger than them, but she quickly shook it off, she was about to continue on, when a thought occurred to her and she followed Starling and the Cyclonians towards the sheet. The three of them noticed that she was still there, none of them spoke, but Starling did raise an eyebrow at her

Piper swung her bag off her back and began fishing around inside it while speaking, "Can you hold that up for a moment so the words are clear to see?" Piper asked

"So you can go and show it off to your friends and gloat, I don't think so!" Snipe growled

Starling just started at Piper carefully as Piper rolled her eyes as she extracted her phone – a graduation gift from her folks – "No, so I can go show the supervisor so we can figure out who did this and get them suspended for it, I mean there's bullying, and then there's _this_ , they shouldn't be allowed to do this," Piper explained.

"Why bother, we're Cyclonians, the supervisor won't do anything about it, they'll just file a report and say they'll get around to it," Snipe's sister retorted

"Hush a moment Ravess," Starling ordered before turning fully to Piper who returned her neutral stare, "Why do this, we're _not_ friends, why even bother when you know it will most likely amount to _nothing_?" Starling asked

Piper just sighed, "Because it's the _right_ thing to do, because I'm not a jackass, now hurry up before it gets too late and we get in trouble for breaking curfew," Piper replied exasperated

Starling blinked, surprised that Piper would be so forceful, it was just unexpected. She turned to the other two and nodded to them while stepping out of the way, Snipe and Ravess stretched out the sheet until the words were clearly legible. Piper brought up her phone and used its holo-crystal function to take an image of the sheet before saving it to her phone, then she turned to Starling, "I'll be right back with the supervisor, we'll get this sorted you'll see."

With that Piper began heading in the direction of the supervisor's office, "We can hope," Starling muttered as Piper walked off

It didn't take Piper long to reach the supervisor's office, but when she did she stopped dead as there were students already there, _with_ the supervisor on duty, and they were all laughing. "Man we should have set up a camera or something so we could see the look on those Cyclonian scumbags face's when they find our little surprise," one of the students said

"Yea, we'll do that next time, anyway, thanks for lending us the keys, it was a big help," another student said to the supervisor

"No problem, those Cyclonians need to know their place, and it's under our boot heel," the supervisor answered while taking back the dorm keys

Piper did a quick 180 and began making her way instead to the _one_ person she knew would – and more importantly _could_ – do something about this, Matron Ana Traven. She was on equal rank with the supervisor though their roles differed, but what was important about Ana, was not only that she was a good friend of Piper's - after meeting her in the first year - but she was also the mother to the principle of the Academy, Alexander Traven

Piper arrived and knocked on Ana's door, "Come in," came Ana's voice from within

Piper opened the door and stepped inside, Ana looked up from her desk and smiled when she saw Piper, "Piper my dear, what can I do for you?" she asked

Piper closed the door and approached Ana's desk, "I just found that someone had done this to Starling," she said pulling out her phone and having it display the image of the graffiti'd sheet

Upon seeing the image Ana's face went from kind and caring, to a look of outright _fury_ , "Who in the _wastelands_ did this!" she shouted standing up

Piper didn't flinch from the shout and simply continued with what she had discovered "The students responsible are currently in the supervisor's office," Piper started, Ana seemed to relax at those words, but then Piper continued "And they were joking and boasting about this _with_ the supervisor who gave them a spare set of keys to get into Starling's dorm."

If Ana had been furious before, the look on her face now had _no_ adequate descriptive in the dictionary, she immediately picked up the phone on her desk and dialed, after a few moments someone picked up and she began speaking. "It's Ana, get down here _now_!" silence followed in which Piper could just make out someone speaking on the other end, then Ana interrupted whoever it was, "I don't care how late it is, I need you down here _NOW_!" she shouted before hanging up. She then sighed and turned to Piper, "Where is Starling now?" she asked

"Still at the communal sinks outside her dorm with two of her friends, trying to clean the words off, I think someone also stuffed sewage or something foul inside of her mattress because that was out there as well with what looked like a repaired hole torn into it and a foul smell coming from it," Piper stated

Ana gave a restrained shudder of anger, before sighing and her features softened as she went over to a cupboard and took out a fresh sheet and handed it to Piper, "Take this to Starling, tell her to chuck the mattress into one of the skips and that I'll get her a new one brought to her, might have to be a temporary one for now as we'll have to order a replacement in, but it should do for a couple of nights," Ana instructed, Piper just nodded, "As for the supervisor, tell him to report to my office immediately and that the students in his office need to stay there or they _will_ be expelled, leave your phone with me, I'll get it back to you as soon as I'm able."

Piper nodded, "What about the sheet their trying to clean?" she asked

Ana just waved her hand as she answered "Tell Starling to chuck it in laundry, I'll see what I can do, but she might need a replacement for that too, if so, all the money for the replacements is going to come out of the fees that the parents of the students responsible pay for."

Piper just nodded, thanked Ana and left with the clean sheet, as Piper made her way back towards the supervisor's office she past the Principle, Alexander Traven, a foul mood plastered on his face, noticing Piper he raised an eyebrow, Piper just smiled as she spoke, "Ana's waiting for you, she's got something to show you, I'm going to make sure the people responsible are going to stay put." Traven's eyebrow rose higher but rather than stop he sped up towards Ana's office, after he arrived Piper could just make out their conversation... which quickly turned into Traven shouting in rage.

Traven's shouts carried down to the supervisor's office because when Piper reached it the man in question was sticking his head out the door, Piper could see that the students were still inside, though now they looked decidedly more nervous

"What are you still doing out and about young lady," the supervisor began, all students need to..." but Piper interrupted him

"You're wanted in the Matron's office, the principle is also waiting for you," Piper stated, "And as for _them_ , Matron has ordered that they're to _stay_ in your office... unless they _want_ to be expelled." With that Piper simply walked on as the supervisor and the other students _gawked_ at her, then Traven's _booming_ voice echoed down the halls, drawing a few students out of their dorms who looked curiously at what was going on. The supervisor ordered them back to bed as he nervously made his way to the Matron's office

When Piper had got back to Starling she saw that they had given up on cleaning the sheet, which wasn't much better than the last time Piper had seen it, they noticed Piper approaching and Snipe nudged Starling to get her attention. Starling looked up and raised an eyebrow at the sheet Piper held in her arms, which she proceeded to hold out to Starling, "Courtesy of Matron Ana, she also said to chuck the mattress in the skip and that she'll get you a replacement, don't worry about cost either, that will be coming out of the fees of the students responsible, the sheet she said to just chuck in laundry for now and she'll see what she can do about it," Piper said a small smile on her face

Starling looked at the fresh sheet, then at Piper, " _How_?" she asked confused

Piper just smiled, "Pays to have friends you know, and just so happens that me and Ana are good friends,"

"What was all the commotion in the dorm building about?" asked Ravess

Piper's smile grew, "I don't think the current supervisor will be keeping his job beyond tonight, and if the jackass's responsible for this don't want to be expelled they'll accept what's coming to them, the principle was quite _pissed_ when he saw what was on my phone."

Starling, Ravess and Snipe all stared at Piper dumbfounded, and Starling had to ask the question she had earlier, but to which Piper had given her a rushed answer, "Why do this? Why help us?"

Piper's smile became kind and sincere "Because it doesn't matter if your Cyclonian or not, you're still people, it's not right to treat you any differently than anyone else, and yes I know that's a double edged sword, but in this instance it's for _your_ benefit. What I mean is, as a fellow human being, it's my duty to lend a helping hand if I can," Piper explained

Starling looked at Piper shocked, then her face softened and she smiled herself, the first time Piper had seen her do so, "You know something, I was wrong about you, your all right," Starling paused here as she began thinking "It was Piper right?" she asked

Piper just smiled and nodded, Starling then held out her hand "Names Starling, nice to _officially_ meet you," she said

"Likewise," Piper replied as she shook the outstretched hand

"This lummox here is Snipe," Starling said gesturing to the bulked out Snipe behind her, who just grunted in response, but did give a tip of the head to Piper, who returned it

"And this here is his sister Ravess," Starling said gesturing to the tall young women at Starling's side

"Heh," Ravess responded

Piper just smiled and nodded back, then turned to Starling, "I'm glad I could help, and finally meet you, if you ever need anything or a friend, please just ask," Piper stated

Starling nodded in response, "we'll keep it in mind."

Piper nodded at that, then pulling her bag up a little higher on her back, continued on her way to her dorm

Starling, Snipe and Ravess watched her go, once she was out of earshot, Starling spoke "Keep an eye on her, if anyone gives her any trouble over this; teach them a lesson, _quietly_." The siblings both nodded as Starling continued "Spread the word around our group, she's to be treated fairly from now on, no more evil looks."

More nods, then Ravess spoke "You think she can help us?"

"Right now, no, but Ace still needs time to get into position, it may still be a few years before we're ready, I hate waiting even that long, it's been 6 years since my sister was taken and I want to move _now_ ," Starling sighed, "But if we go now, we'll be slaughtered, and my sister will remain a prisoner, so we need to continue with how we've been operating, and that means finding as many people who can or would even be _willing_ to help us... Piper just _might_ be one of those people; I want to know for sure by the time we're ready to move."

The two siblings nodded again, they'd invested so much in this operation, 6 years of planning and coordinating, to have it all fail, to crumble right before their eyes, would spell _doom_ for their people.

* * *

That event was 3 years ago, in that time, Ace had successfully infiltrated the facility holding Starling's sister, and Starling had been carefully watching Piper, slowly getting to know her. Now it was time, and Starling was going to take a chance on Piper, and request her help, if Starling was wrong about Piper, then 9 years of planning and patient waiting would _blow_ up in her face.

* * *

 _ **To be continued dear Mortals, Mwuhahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!**_

 **Ahem... you know... it's actually not half bad (grins evilly)**

 **please leave a review if your liking this story and as always constructive criticism is welcome ; )**


	3. Chp2: Taking a Chance

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters, locations, equipment etc used in this story, it exists purely because I want it to**

 **WARNING: This Story contain themes of violence, torture, segregation, slavery and death (not necessarily in that order). Graphic content has been kept to a minimum to avoid M rating, even so, viewer discretion is advised**

 **Ok, I think I now know how other authors on this site feel, if only a little bit, I have NO idea why this one took as long as it did, it shouldn't have but it did. Yea I know I'm making a big deal about this when its what, only been a little over a week since the last update, where as most stories take MONTHS to update, but for me, this was just FRUSTRATING. While I was writing this I got several ideas for new stories, but I don't want to start them until I finish this one, I like remaining focused on one project at a time so it means I have to push these new ideas to the side for now and make sure I don't forget them (sigh)**

 **Anyway, I FINALLY got this chapter finished, for those of you who are wondering, this chapter takes place the day AFTER the events in the prologue, while the events in chapter 1 are all from the past, in addition please note that I' am NOT going to be writing Dove's accent phonetically, instead I will be taking ques and advice from stuff I have found from my research to write her accent, this includes adding or taking out small words that might otherwise be included in a sentence, swapping some words around, or even including words from Dove's native language (in this case French). If you want to know how the accent might sound, a good bit that I found is that the H in most English words for someone with a french accent is silent, so 'Happened' becomes 'Appened' and words like 'think' become 'tink' instead. Again I will NOT be writing the words as they SOUND but there are other strategies that I will be using to display Dove's accent.**

 **Finally this will be the chapter where things start getting interesting, no real action yet but this will be the set up for the action to come, and I think most people will be able to predict the majority of the next chapter, so have fun and enjoy**

 **Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, Dear Readers ( _and Mortals)_ all, welcome back (finally) to... The Storm and the Hawk**

 **P.s. I will be including translations for the French words Dove uses at the end of the chapter (as well as any others she speaks in)**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 2: Taking a Chance**_

End of year exams at Traven Academy was always a hectic time, students rushing between classrooms and the library, teachers carrying stacks of test papers everywhere, entire rooms being devoted to tests with rows of desks and chairs filling them. While all this went on, normal routine had to take place as well; the younger students (the first and second years) had already had their end of year exams a few weeks earlier, so they had things like taster lessons where they got to see what their future classes were like, and what subject they wanted to pursue. Then there were mealtimes, laundry, general cleaning for the whole Academy, it was complete bedlam, and yet there was a sort of ordered chaos to the whole thing, no deadlines were ever missed, and nothing was left by the wayside, this was after all _Traven_ _Academy_ , the _highest_ funded educational institution in all Atmos.

As for Piper and her friends, this was one of their more important end of year exams, this being their 5th year meant they were at the mid way point of a long road to deciding their futures, and how well they did in these exams could well determine those futures... so as you can imagine they were pretty tense. Well, Dove and Aerrow were tense, but it seemed like _nothing_ could faze Piper, she was bouncing around from one exam to the next a broad smile permanently plastered on her face

"How in Atmos do you do it Piper?" Aerrow asked as they finished yet _another_ exam (a mathematics one) and walked out into the bright afternoon sun

"Do what?" Piper asked putting on an innocent look

Aerrow didn't buy it for a second, "I mean stay so happy and cheerful during one of the _hardest_ times of the year?" Aerrow stated

Piper giggled, "I just like the challenge, it invigorates me," Piper replied, in the months before this she had been studying non-stop, Dove and Aerrow had called her mad... well, look who was laughing now

"Hello guys," Dove said as she joined them, her accent still distinctive despite her years away from her family and Terra. It had gotten less thick since coming to the Academy, but it seemed she would just never lose that distinctive tone in her voice, what's more, Aerrow and Piper had gotten used to it over the years, so now it was just the way she naturally talked as far as they were concerned. She had just come from a micro-biology exam (Dove was interested in becoming a doctor)

Piper turned to Dove smiling, "Heh Dove, how'd you think you did?" she asked smiling

Dove smiled back "Okay I think, we shall see in few days yes."

Piper nodded smiling back, and then the lunch bell rang across the Academy, "Yes! Lunch break, come on, I think its burger day today," Aerrow said excitedly

Dove and Piper both rolled their eyes, they both liked Aerrow and thought he was a good friend, but he could still be a typical boy sometimes

The lunchroom was a madhouse, more so than usual as many students had brought along their study stuff to prepare for the exams after lunch, there were some exceptions to this and Dove, Piper and Aerrow were among them, not only had they already studied to completion for any academic exams they had left, but they each only had one or two of them left, their last exams were their Skyknight exams. Aerrow had gone and focused into this not long after starting at the Academy pursuing subjects towards that end, Dove and Piper while they had thought the idea of becoming Skyknights _interesting_ , had other things they wanted to pursue. Nevertheless they had still opted to apply for the basic training lessons in order to leave their options open, and if they found they wanted to join the Skyknights as well they could pursue that path in the following years.

The exams for the Skyknight training were of course practical exams and involved physical exercise and work rather than sitting indoors doing test papers, this meant there was only one way to study for these and that was, practice, practice and _more_ practice. So as you can imagine, Aerrow was the most confident out of the three of them for these tests, Piper and Dove meanwhile were confident in their abilities but were still nervous as both were sure they'd missed something during their practice sessions. There were plenty of other students who were also excited or nervous about the upcoming Skyknight exams, the only ones who weren't were the Cyclonians, as part of the conditions that had allowed them to get into Traven Academy, Cyclonians were not allowed to take any Skyknight training classes, the self-defense classes were fine, but that was the limit. As such, the Cyclonians would not be participating in the last few exams, all of which were for the Skyknight classes

As such Starling and the other Cyclonians weren't really around during the end of the day, in fact, Piper had seen less and less of them as the day had gone by, and she was beginning to get worried. While she couldn't really call Starling a friend, she was still someone she got along well with after the event three years ago, so her absence had Piper concerned, she brought these concerns up with both Dove and Aerrow

Aerrow's reply was "The Cyclonians have always been outcasts Piper, nothing we can do to change that, if they want to disappear to have some quite time after finishing their exams I don't see anything wrong with that, don't bother them and they won't bother you."

While Dove, "J'admet, it is strange that they would just vanish, but I do not think we have to be concerned, they are all capable of taking care of themselves."

But Piper _was_ concerned, and as more time passed with no sign of Starling or the other Cyclonians, Piper only became _more_ concerned

Then just as Piper finished getting changed into her blue and orange sports jumpsuit for participating in the Skyknight exams and was leaving the changing rooms, she heard someone call her name

"Piper!"

Piper looked round to see Starling leaning against the corridor wall next to a corner that went deeper into the building towards the classrooms, "Starling heh, where have you been?" Piper asked relieved as she walked up to her

"Around... listen could we talk, in private?" Starling asked with a look on her face that Piper had never seen before

Piper looked around the empty corridor, "More private than this?" she said waving her hands around

Starling just nodded a serious look on her face before turning around and walking down the corridor behind her without waiting to see if Piper would follow, which Piper did. She was curious, Starling was acting weird... well, weirder than usual. Piper followed Starling to an empty classroom, at this time of day most students had finished with either classes or exams and everyone was heading out to the sports fields to either take the Skyknight exams, or watch, the Academy buildings were practically deserted. Inside the classroom Piper was surprised to find _all_ of the Cyclonians waiting, and they seemed tense, some of them giving Piper odd looks that Piper couldn't gauge

"Everyone but Ravess and Snipe out, the Academy is deserted now so get ready, we move on my mark," Starling said crisply to which each and every Cyclonian instantly obeyed. To see _two_ older students take orders from Starling was one thing, to see nearly a _dozen_. Piper stared in amazement as the Cyclonians filed out before Snipe closed and locked the door.

"What's this about?" Piper asked, a small twinge of nervousness creeping into her voice

Starling turned back to Piper and looked her dead in the eye, "I need your help Piper," she said simply

Piper breathed in relief, _for a moment there I thought I'd done something wrong_ , "Of course, what do you need help with, is someone giving you a hard time or..."

"No nothing like that," Starling interrupted, then she took a breath, "I'm going to tell you a secret about me Piper, a secret that if it _ever_ got out to the public would make me the victim of a witch hunt."

Piper raised an eyebrow at Starling confused, Starling then seemed to steel herself before continuing, "You know what my last name is right?" Starling asked

Piper nodded, "Yea, Swiftflight right."

Starling chuckled, "Yea that... I'm afraid Piper that Swiftflight is just a cover... my _real_ last name is Cyclonis."

It took Piper a moment to realise what Starling had just said, when it clicked, Piper felt like she'd just been hit with a _ton_ of bricks, "C-Cyclonis, as in _the_ Cyclonis family, the family who lead Cyclonia during the war!?" Piper exclaimed

Starling just gave Piper a wry smile, "The very same, I' am the eldest daughter of Corvin and Cecilia Cyclonis and the granddaughter to _Master_ Anarchis Cyclonis... I' am the Cyclonian heir apparent."

Piper just stared at her dumbfounded, on one hand, Piper was incredibly touched that Starling had chosen to share this information with her when Piper knew full well that _many_ people who heard this would immediately report her to the authorities and as she had said, start a witch hunt. If the Senate ever learned this, they wouldn't rest until they had caught her, or worse. At the same time however, Piper couldn't understand _why_ Starling was _telling_ her this, what was going on here

"I don't understand, why tell me this, what's going on?" Piper asked, incredibly confused

"It's quite simple Piper, I need your help to pull off an operation right here on Atmosia, an operation that if it succeeds could very well safeguard the future of my people," Starling replied

"Operation?" Piper asked nervously

Starling nodded, "About 9 years ago the Cyclonian resistance was effectively crushed and our fates were left up to the Atmosian Senate, we found other ways to fight back and reclaim some of our rights but even then we get harsh restrictions imposed on us, and many Terra's still treat us like slaves or even animals," she explained. "That's not freedom Piper, nor is it any way for a person, heck a _people_ to live... but that wasn't all that was done to us."

Now Piper was lost, but before she had a chance to speak, Starling continued, "Atmosia's lead agent, Long Feng, stole my little sister, Lark Cyclonis. He kidnapped her and made her a prisoner in his facility right here on Atmosia and began experimenting on her, turning her into a weapon... I'm going to take her back, and at the same time give hope back to my people that Cyclonia still lives."

Piper could hardly believe what she was hearing, this went against _everything_ she'd ever been told about the Atmosian Senate, _surely they wouldn't condone the kidnap and torture of a six year old girl_. Starling saw the conflict in Piper's eyes and kept going, "Piper you have _no_ idea what the Atmosian senate is capable of, trust me, this isn't the worst they've done, just the latest crime on a very _long_ list."

Piper finally found her voice, "And you want _me_ to help you break your sister out!?" she said disbelievingly

"Not break her out, _rescue_ her, she's been a prisoner against her will for 9 years and she has _never_ done anything to deserve it!" Starling snapped back her temper flaring

Piper ignored Starling's temper however and began pacing back and forth, on the one hand she felt bad for Starling and her sister, this wasn't something they deserved and it was only right that they be reunited... but breaking into a secure secret facility, freeing a Cyclonian prisoner from the Atmosian military, these were all acts of treason, even _if_ the prisoner in question had done nothing wrong, the authorities would _only_ view it as treason. Piper thought about everything that could go wrong, even if they were successful and got Starling's sister out, if Piper was identified then her life was effectively _over_ , she'd be branded a traitor. That would have serious repercussions for her family, it might even put them in danger, and then there were her friends, what would happen to them, what would they think of her? In fact, if Piper wanted her life back afterwards, she'd be betting everything on the Cyclonian resistance winning, and with how much Piper had to lose, she wasn't sure if she was ready to risk that

"Well, Piper, what's your answer?" Starling asked, breaking Piper from her thoughts

Piper stopped pacing and looked at Starling, then she took a deep breath as her eyes found the floor, unable to look Starling in the eye, "I'm sorry Starling, but..." Piper trailed off unable to even finish the sentence

Starling got the message though and sighed, "No it's ok, I understand, unlike Ace you actually have things to lose if you join us, the risk is far greater and doesn't just pertain to you alone." Starling then turned and began walking towards the door, which Snipe unlocked as she and Ravess approached

"I'm _really_ sorry Starling, I know I said that..." but Piper was again unable to finish, this time out of shame that she had broken her promise

"It's alright Piper... good luck in the Skyknight exams, I wish you the best. If fate is kind to me today however, then I pray we never meet on the battlefield, because if we do, my duty to my people will force me to kill you," Starling replied, her tone even and neutral, despite the words. Then she, Raves and Snipe all left, leaving Piper alone

* * *

Subject C stared at the wall as she lay curled in her bed, tears tracked silently down her cheeks but she hardly noticed them, she'd been a fool, she _shouldn't_ have disobeyed orders, the man was probably dead by now anyway, it would have been far easier and simpler, just to kill him herself and spare her the pain Long Feng inflicted.

" _NO!"_ snapped a voice inside Subject C's head, a voice she had thought Long Feng had long silenced, _"You mustn't give up, you need to fight, stay strong or you will be a slave forever!"_ the voice shouted in her head

 _Would that be such a bad thing_ Subject C thought, _I' am fed well, and so long as I behave and do as I' am told they treat me well. I' am not beaten or abused; I have everything I could ever need_

" _Except a life!"_ came the voice again, _"You're a prisoner inside your own head, devoid of emotion, feeling and even memory, you're a blank slate that Long Feng can paint how he wants! YOU NEED TO FIGHT, FIND THE HAWK, AND SET YOURSELF FREE!"_

Subject C gripped her head in pain as the voice increased in intensity, she was broken from her thoughts however by a noise outside her door, it sounded like voices, then shouts and finally two thuds against the wall outside, and then silence. Subject C stared at the door waiting to see what would happen, there were no scheduled appointments for today, Administrator Long Feng was out on business. Then the sound of the door being unlocked echoed around the room before the door opened and in walked one of the facilities guards... only he had his helmet off and Subject C could see his face which was fair and relatively handsome, he looked to be in his early 20's, his hair was black and spiked and his eyes red, upon his back he bore a long two handed blade that was currently sheathed.

Upon sighting Subject C he entered the room and made his way over to her, Subject C tensed ready for a fight, but then the man went down onto one knee, head bowed

"Princess Lark Cyclonis, my name is Ace, I may not be a Cyclonian, but I owe my allegiance to your sister Starling Cyclonis. I' am here to rescue you, your Highness."

* * *

Piper walked out onto the sports fields almost numb, it felt like a part of her had been ripped out of her by her own folly. Breaking her promise to Starling that she would help the Cyclonian if she ever needed it was causing a mental battle inside of Piper. Logic was arguing that the risk was too great and the cost of failure or even discovery would be her life, her future, possibly even her family and friends. But Piper's heart argued that it was the _right_ thing to do, despite the risk and that no one, deserved what Starling's sister had gone through. Currently logic was winning, but only just, and it was tearing Piper apart inside

Piper was broken from her thoughts by the sound of her friends voices

"Piper there you are, what took you so long?" Aerrow asked as he and Dove came jogging up to her

Piper quickly thought of something to say that they would believe without giving away too much of what she had learned, "Oh, I ran into Starling as I left the changing rooms," she said

"You did, bein, see I told you they can take care of themselves," Dove said a smile on her face

Aerrow nodded, "Yea, I don't know why you were so worried Piper."

Piper just rolled her eyes, "Yea go on rub it in," she replied jokingly, but inside, her mental war _raged_ anew because of what she knew over her friends

"Come on we should get ready, the exams are about to start," Aerrow said as he pointed his thumb over his shoulder at the grounds behind them

Piper nodded and they were about to make their way over when a voice interrupted them, "Ahh, Piper there you are, do you mind coming with me for a moment, there's someone here who wants to meet you," said Principle Traven as he made his way over to them

Piper glanced at him and then her friends and nodded for them to go on without her, then turned to the principle "Sure no problem sir," she replied and followed him towards where a group of teachers were forming

To Piper's surprise they actually went past the group to where a man with black hair styled in a way that left his forehead and crown bald but gave him a long ponytail down his back, he was dressed in a black robe with gold trim and also bore a neatly trimmed moustache and goatee combo.

"Piper, might I introduce you too..." Traven began, but Piper beat him to the punch

"Administrator Long Feng!" she exclaimed in surprise, Piper like many people had heard of the exploits of the man standing before her and had recognized him instantly – a part of her mind also reminded her of the new information she had learned about him, and warning bells started ringing in her head – this was the first time Piper had met the man face to face, normally it was on TV or from a distance. Now his cool grey blue eyes turned towards her, regarding her with a stare that made Piper feel _extremely_ uncomfortable

"I see you know of me," Long Feng stated calmly

Piper quickly recovered herself and made sure to try and keep her emotions in check, not an easy thing, as his gaze was making her feel like a rabbit staring down a fox. "Uh yes, well what I mean is I've done a lot of reading on you and your achievements, your knowledge of Crystal Magecraft, your innovations, their all fascinating," Piper said quickly trying to get her heart – which was thumping hard against her chest out of fear – under control

Long Feng gave her a cool smile, "An academic I see, interested in the sciences?"

Piper nodded, and was relieved when Traven answered for her, "Piper is a straight A student in _all_ her science classes and does well in every one of her other academic classes, no grade lower than a B-. She's also a model student, is kind and caring to everyone around her and doesn't even let past grudges affect how she treats others."

Long Feng continued to smile, and while he listened and acknowledged Traven's words, his eyes never left Piper, "And what about your interest in Crystal Magecraft is that merely a hobby or..."

"Piper is a Crystal Mage yes, and quite a brilliant one at that," Traven interrupted, though something about how Long Feng had asked the question made Piper feel like he had already known she was a Crystal Mage

Now Long Feng's gaze finally left Piper and went to Traven, "And how exactly have you been teaching her that subject, as I' am led to believe, there are _no_ Crystal Mages in your staff?"

Piper didn't know why she did it, but she suddenly spoke up, instantly gaining Long Feng's attention again, "I've been teaching myself," she said and quickly closed her mouth again to stop it from saying anything else

"Really? You are aware of how dangerous that is?" Long Feng commented

Piper nodded "I take a lot of precautions and Principle Traven has lent me the use of one of the old sheds at the bottom of the grounds for practice, as well as any books from the library that I might need to learn about different aspects of Crystal Magecraft," she replied, choosing her words carefully

Now Long Feng seemed impressed, and his gaze on Piper intensified, making her feel even _more_ uncomfortable, "Is that so, and how are your studies progressing?" he asked

Despite the uncomfortable feelings this man was causing Piper, she couldn't resist retelling some of her latest successes. "Well I recently was able to find a work around to the problem that occurs when a crystal begins to be taxed in either extreme heat or cold," she stated

"Really... please continue," Long Feng said

Piper gulped, "Well when a crystal gets too hot, the bonds that make it up begin to warp out of place, this changes the internal structure and consequently causes the crystal to stop working, the same applies for cold which will cause any liquid in the crystal's makeup to begin to freeze, and when liquids freeze they expand which again deforms the internal structure," Piper began. "Now we already know that when submerged in certain fluids that have higher boiling points and lower freezing points it's possible to prevent this from occurring... however, those same liquids can often be extremely volatile with certain crystal types and cause an explosive reaction, so the problem is, how to gain the benefit of these liquids without causing an explosive reaction."

Long Feng merely nodded, this was a problem that had vexed him for years and had prevented many projects he'd been working on to proceed past the planning stage

"The answer is to work the liquids into the crystals themselves _as they are forming_ ," Piper said, a pleased as punch look on her face

Long Feng now frowned, "How does that help, wouldn't that just cause the crystals to explode upon their formation?"

Piper shook her head "No it doesn't, I had to do a lot of trial and error to get this right, nearly cost me my eyebrows on several occasions too, but basically as I was experimenting to find a work around I noticed something interesting," Piper explained

Long Feng again gestured for her to go on

"The parts of the crystals that are responsible for their power lie just outside their cores and go all the way to their surface, these are also the parts that react with whatever the crystal touches and so are the cause of the explosive reaction when they are submerged in the liquids designed to either keep them cool or warm, depending on the situation," Piper said, "However, the cores are completely inert and do not react, but instead contain the foundation matrix for the crystal, if you combine the molecular structure of the liquids that we want to use to prevent overheat or freeze effects to this matrix, then that will be incorporated into the rest of the crystal during its formation allowing it to resist both greater heat and cold, preventing the warping or deformation of its matrix."

After finishing Piper was beaming, impressed with herself, Traven was also smiling, proud of his number one student, Long Feng meanwhile was staring at Piper in both shock and amazement, then his expression shifted, a smile forming once again

"Most impressive, and you figured this out all on your own through _trial and error_?" he asked

Piper nodded and Long Feng seemed to be thinking about something, "Well I must say the reports I read about your Crystal Mage abilities certainly did not exaggerate, I shall definitely be keeping my eye on you young Piper, and when you graduate, I shall very much like to run an offer by you that will open up _many_ doors in your future."

Piper felt that uncomfortable feeling return, "Erm, thank you Long Feng sir," Piper replied, Long Feng just nodded, then gave a gesture towards Traven

Traven nodded and lent towards Piper, "You can go now Piper, good luck in your exams."

Piper just nodded and left, relieved to be away from Long Feng, though she felt his eyes on her all the way back past the crowd of teachers

Traven turned to Long Feng, "I think it's only fair that you know I will be petitioning the Senate to keep you from taking her," he said coldly

Long Feng stared Traven in the eye coolly, "Really, we've been down this road before Traven, you should know by now that I _always_ win."

* * *

Piper rejoined Aerrow and Dove who looked at her worriedly as she returned and immediately went to lean against the shed they were next too

"Piper what happened?" Dove asked

Piper took a few deep breaths before responding, "I just met Administrator Long Feng."

Dove and Aerrow looked at one another, and then Aerrow replied, "That's good though right, you've always gone on about his achievements and inventions and how you'd like to follow in his footsteps right?"

Piper shook her head, "After what Starling told me about him, I was starting to question that, after meeting him..." Piper trailed off as she gave a shudder then continued, "The whole time he was looking at me, I felt like I was being appraised, like I was some animal or object he might buy at the market, then when I told him about my little pet project, he got this look in his eye... it was like he wanted to drag me away there and then, claim ownership of me... make me his slave."

Now Aerrow and Dove were thoroughly confused, this couldn't be the same Long Feng that Piper had sung the praises of surely

Before either of them could speak Piper continued, "I've been such a fool, idolizing a man I barely knew anything about," Piper then looked back towards the Academy, a hard stony look on her face, "I never should have broken my promise," she breathed, before marching off back towards the Academy

Aerrow and Dove both stared at her for a moment before racing to catch up with her, "Whoa heh Piper where are you going?" Aerrow asked as he tried desperately to get her attention

"Something I should have done half an hour ago," Piper responded as she now broke into a run towards the Academy buildings

Dove and Aerrow, glanced once at each other, then took off after their friend

* * *

Subject C looked down at the man before her, _Sister, Princess, what was he talking about?_

Suddenly, noises from outside caught the man's attention, "We need to go your highness, we have to get to the rendezvous in time and link up with your sister and the rest of our forces, follow me," he said as he stood and made his way back towards the door, he stopped when he realized that his charge was not following

"Your Highness please we need to go," he insisted

"Why do you call me that?" Subject C breathed

Ace ground his teeth in frustration, _Osprey mentioned a lack of memory, I'll have to improvise_ , "Because you are a Princess of Cyclonia, and it is my sworn duty to protect you, now if you want to be free we need to leave, right now," Ace declared

 _Free, could that even be possible, can I really **be** free?_ Subject C thought, she looked up at Ace as he held his hand out to her, then her eyes glanced at the open door, a feeling then overcame her, a force that began pushing her to walk out that door. She stood and made her way to Ace who smiled at her, the smile vanished however as a flash filled the room and Ace was thrown into the wall by the door before collapsing to the ground. He rolled onto his side and looked down at himself to see a scorch mark across his side, then the pain hit and he gritted his teeth to keep from crying out, he then felt a shadow cross over him, and looked up to see his charge walking past him and out the open door

"Why?" he croaked

"Thank you, for releasing me, but traitors to the Republic _must_ die, starting with you," Subject C replied in a robotic voice, devoid of emotion

Then she was gone, and Ace curled into himself as the pain overwhelmed him, _what's going on here, why did she attack and then leave..._ Ace struggled to keep his mind focused through the pain, then the answer came to him, _you_ _ **bastard**_ _Long Feng, what did you do... what have_ _ **I**_ _done... Atmos, I'm sorry your highness, I failed_ , then Ace lost consciousness.

* * *

 ** _To be continued dear Mortals, Mwuhahahahahahahahahahahaha!_**

 **Stay tuned for Chapter 3: A desperate assault**

 **Please feel free to leave a review if you like this chapter and as always constructive criticism is welcome, until next time ; )**

 **J'admet = I admit**

 **bein = good**


	4. Chp3: A Desperate Assault

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters, locations, equipment etc used in this story, it exists purely because I want it to**

 **WARNING: This Story contain themes of violence, torture, segregation, slavery and death (not necessarily in that order). Graphic content has been kept to a minimum to avoid M rating, even so, viewer discretion is advised**

 **Hello all and welcome back, no ramble this time as I know your probably as anxious to get into the action as I' am, just a few points to note**

 **First, the weaponry used by both sides in this story is more advanced than in the show, and resembles actual guns and are used in much the same way, however they don't use bullets but instead use crystals as power sources to create small high speed rounds that act much like bullets. unlike normal guns, the power levels can be adjusted to increase or decrease the lethality of the rounds, the weapons can also be equipped with mods, much like in the Mass Effect series to give certain traits to the rounds, such as fire, frost or poison etc**

 **Second, for those of you who may still be confused, LARK HAS _NO_ MEMORY WHATSOEVER, Long Feng has effectively destroyed her entire self and rebuilt her psyche from the ground up, see is not going to act with any kind of reason or rhyme, without orders she is basically nothing more than a savage beast left off the chain. Yes this is going to be touched on more later on in the story, and eventually our heroes will attempt to get Lark's memories back to restore her personality and free her from Long Feng's control, as for details as to HOW that is going to happen... _be patient my dear mortals, you'll get your answers in due time (chuckles evilly)_**

 **So, Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, Dear Readers ( _and Mortals_ ) all, welcome back to... The Storm and the Hawk**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 3: A Desperate Assault**_

Starling took a breath as she stared down the dimly lit corridor at the security door ahead, in front of which two soldiers stood on guard, dressed in the facilities standard grey featureless armor. This was it, nine years of planning and preparation about to pay off, Starling had wanted to do this nine years ago when her sister had first been kidnapped, but grandmother had forbade it stating that they would be slaughtered in the attempt. Looking now at the security they had uncovered Starling admitted grudgingly that she had been right, but now that they had prepared, planned, Starling would wait no longer, it was time to free her sister from Atmosia's clutches

"Ace come in, do you have Lark, are you on the move?" Starling asked into her secure radio, Ace had the other one, but there was no answer

"Ace, come in!" Starling repeated, her voice growing thick with worry now, Ace was _never_ late with a check in

"Are we moving your highness?" Ravess asked

Starling gritted her teeth, the plan had been to wait for Ace's confirmation that Lark was out of her cell and on the way to the rendezvous, then using the Intel Ace had gathered for them Starling's team would break into the facility and cause as much chaos as they could to distract security from Ace and Lark. After meeting up they would retreat to a predetermined exit point and flee the facility and afterwards the Terra. Ace's silence however was not part of the plan, meaning something had gone wrong, but they had no way of knowing what

Starling looked down towards the security door, and then turned to Ravess, "There should be a security room beyond that door yes, with schematics of the entire facility?"

Ravess nodded "Yes, Ace was very thorough with his Intel, each security room manages a separate area of the base, the one ahead should have the schematics we need to find Lark's cell."

Starling nodded in response, it was a start, if they could breach the security room then they could discover what went wrong, "Okay, we're going in, move fast and don't give them a chance to breath or get off a distress signal to the rest of the base, the longer we can keep their central command from thinking there's a problem the better."

No one argued, they simply prepared for the fight ahead, despite all being in their early twenties or late teens, each and every one of them had trained for this day, even if they had to do it in secret. Starling then nodded to Snipe who returned it, before she tossed a small object down the corridor towards the two guards, a white flash engulfed the corridor along with a loud _bang_. Snipe was moving before the blast had even gone off, head down with ear protectors on, once the flash bang had gone off he raised his head and his weapon, a crystal mace and _slammed_ into the first disoriented guard using his shoulder as a weapon, before bringing his mace around to the second one and knocking him out as well

Ravess was right behind her brother and quickly got the codes for the door entered, they were through in seconds and the soldiers on the other side were caught completely off guard. It was over in seconds, and now the Cyclonians had control of the security terminal. Starling wasted no time and brought up camera feeds for the section they wanted while disabling the cameras in their section, citing mechanical failure to the system to fool the facilities central command

What Starling found on the feeds however sent a block of lead feeling dropping into her stomach, "No," she breathed as she stared at an empty cell, no Lark and no Ace, and the corridor cam showed an open door. Starling had no way of knowing that Ace had taken an extra precaution before going to Lark's cell and that was to remove himself and Lark from the security feeds, Starling had no idea that Ace was lying unconscious on the floor of Lark's cell, and despite Starling's attempts to find Lark on the feeds, all they found were empty corridors

"This can't be right, Ace confirmed she was here just yesterday, where could she have gone?" Starling hissed frustrated

"If the princess isn't here we should withdraw, we can't afford to fight an entire military facility, especially if there's no gain," one of the other Cyclonians said

Starling's eyes hardened at his words, "No! We're not leaving, Ace is still in here somewhere, and if Lark really _wasn't_ here he would have contacted us by now and said so," she replied crisply

"Begging your pardon your highness, but he could have been captured, that would explain his silence and why we can't find Lark, if that's the case, we could be walking straight into a trap," said the same Cyclonian

"No! My sister is here somewhere, I know it! We're _going_ to get her out, find Ace and blow this wretched facility to kingdom come when we're done!" Starling shouted back, turning her rage filled eyes on the man who had spoken who simply bowed his head

"By your word your highness," he replied

Starling nodded then turned back to the console, "Where do we start your highness?" Ravess asked

Starling thought for a moment, then made a decision, a decision that would determine the future of Atmos, and one of many that would be made today. "We act under the assumption that Ace was successful in getting to my sister and is making his way to the rendezvous and is just unable to communicate at this time, therefore, we make all haste to carry out our original plan."

"Yes, your highness!" the Cyclonians chorused

* * *

Subject C was lost, which was surprising because she'd been here all her life, but in the past she had been guided or even forced down these hallways, so by the time she started walking down them willingly it was just something she did, without thinking about it. As a result, she had no idea where she was going, only that something in her head was _pushing_ her to find a way out, not that she knew where that was, she had _never_ seen a way out in the entire time she'd been here, for all she knew, this place was the _entire_ world

She continued walking along the corridors, when suddenly a shout came from behind her; she turned to see two guards running towards her from the other end of the corridor, weapons drawn.

 _Kill them!_ Shouted a voice in her head, and she did just that, her body reacting on instinct not even stopping to think about what she was doing, she simply reacted. Subject C continued on her way, leaving two charred corpses in her wake

* * *

Piper's hand covered her mouth as she stared at the ruined bodies that littered the corridor, they were just outside the security station where Starling and the Cyclonians had been only minutes before, and already Piper was having second thoughts. Aerrow and Dove came jogging up behind her

Dove gave an audible gasp as she beheld the scene "Mon Dieu, what happened here?"

"Looks like the Cyclonians attacked this place," Aerrow growled, "But why, what's going on here Piper?"

Piper didn't respond immediately, taking a moment to steal herself, _To Starling and the other Cyclonians these people were enemies, responsible for all they've suffered, so of course they'd do this, it doesn't change why I came down here_

She then turned to the others, "Go back you two, you don't need to be here, there's still a chance for you guys to keep your futures, you don't have to throw them away," Piper said, before heading further into the facility

"Like hell we're going back without you Piper, now tell us what's going on!" Aerrow exclaimed as he raced around in front of Piper to stop her from going any further

Piper glanced at him then at Dove who while nervous was still looking at Piper expectantly. Piper sighed, "Fine, Starling's trying to rescue her little sister," she said simply, "And she asked me for my help, and I was too much of a coward to give it when she asked."

Aerrow and Dove looked at one another, "Her sister?" Dove asked

"Yes, Lark Cyclonis was her name I think, she was kidnapped 9 years ago and has been held in this facility ever since, apparently Lark's jailors have been less than kind," Piper explained

Aerrow and Dove exchanged another look, then something came to Aerrow, "Wait a minute... _Cyclonis_? As in _the_ Cyclonis family!?"

Piper nodded, "I reacted much the same way when Starling told me her real last name, Swiftflight was just a cover while she was here at the Academy, planning and preparing for _this_ day, the day she tries to rescue her little sister."

Aerrow and Dove were stunned into disbelief and shock, for the last 5 years they'd been living and learning alongside a member of the Cyclonis family, the most hated and hunted family in the _entire_ Atmos. While they were distracted, Piper kept going, but Dove and Aerrow soon noticed and raced to catch up with her

"Guys please go back, if you get caught or identified..." Piper started

"Yea we know, we'll be branded as traitors and become 'Atmos' most wanted'," Aerrow said as he fell into step beside Piper

"But you must think we are cretins to let you go alone," Dove added

Piper stared at them incredulously, "But the risks..." she began

"Can go stuff it, we're not abandoning you Piper, cause if _you_ feel that this is the right thing to do... then it must be pretty important," Aerrow interrupted

"Exactement," Dove said, giving Piper a wink

Piper felt her eyes begin to mist up, _their willing to take this risk with me, they really are the best friends I could ask for_

* * *

The Skyknight exams were always so dull, it was little more than an attempt to sustain a by-gone age of heroes, the Skyknights were outdated and ineffective and these exams proved it. Did these children _really_ believe that what they were being tested on would save their lives, or help them to bring down the enemies of the Republic, what young fools

Still the Skyknights did serve one purpose, they kept the people happy, knowing their age old protectors were still watching over them, but it was little more than a farce these days. Less than half of the Skyknight squadrons that had existed during the war were still active today, and most had been forcibly disbanded by the state after a failure to carry out orders. It was the Atmosian Liberation force that protected the Atmos now, Long Feng's creation and the reason for his success and power now

At the very least, the young Skyknights these exams created could be more effectively controlled and managed, allowing Long Feng and the Senate to turn the old outdated weapon that was the Skyknights into a more finely honed weapon, one that they – no _he_ – could use, to control _all_ of Atmos

As Long Feng thought of his glorious future to come, his mind drifted to that young Crystal Mage Piper, _she will make a_ _ **fine**_ _addition to my collection, willing or not, it doesn't matter, all that matters is that her mind be made available for my plans. With a mind and skill like that, combined with Subject C's power..._ _ **nothing**_ _will be able to stop me_

Long Feng was suddenly distracted by his phone, he was getting a message

Long Feng began to smile as he read it, _everything is proceeding according to plan, within the next few weeks, the last embers of resistance shall be crushed... and the Senate is next_

* * *

Starling gritted her teeth in frustration as a hail of crystal shots impacted the corner she was hiding behind, across from her were the rest of her team fighting against the facility's guards. There hadn't been a trap, but security had been tighter than expected, now they were trying to get through to their original rendezvous point in the hope that Ace and Lark were waiting for them

As her team fought, Starling tried Ace on the radio again, "Ace, come in damm it, where are you!?"

Suddenly two more guards appeared around the corner behind Starling, she reacted on instinct, diving towards them into a roll, then springing to her feet and drawing her crystal nun-chucks. Her first brutal swing caught the leg of the closest guard, a loud _snap_ coming from his leg and a scream from his lips. The second guard swore and tried to bring his weapon to bear on Starling, but she easily swerved around him and brought her nun-chucks down to crack against the crown of his helmet. The guard crumpled to the floor, a small trickle of blood seeping out from under the helmet, the first guard was writhing on the floor in agony as he clutched his leg. Starling grabbed one of the weapons the guards were wielding and held it in the man's face

"Tell me where Lark is!" she shouted

The guard looked up at her, though with the helmet on it was impossible to see his expression

"Tell me, WHERE IS MY SISTER?!" Starling repeated, thrusting the weapon in the man's face now

"Go to hell Cyclonian!" the man growled back

Starling glared furiously at the man, then brought the weapon to the ankle of his uninjured leg, and pulled the trigger, the man screamed in agony

"I WON'T ASK AGAIN!" Starling roared

The man however slumped back against the wall he was leaning against, his body going limp, he wasn't dead, he'd simply passed out, Starling swore and tossed the Atmosian weapon aside. _This is taking too long; we'll never find them at this rate, and the longer we spend in one place, the more troops we'll have to fight_

* * *

Alarms blared through the halls as Piper, Aerrow and Dove watched a contingent of soldiers pass by their hiding place

"Crap, this place has gone nuts, sounds like the Cyclonians are tearing things up," Aerrow commented

Piper couldn't help but agree, they needed to find Starling and fast, she glanced down the now empty corridor the soldiers had just come from, "Ok let's go, we need to find Starling, or better yet her sister, and then get out of here," Piper said

"Do you even know what her sister looks like Piper?" Dove asked as she and Aerrow followed Piper down the corridor

"Well no but" Piper began but was cut off by a yell from the direction they just came

"Heh, you three, stop right there!" shouted a soldier, weapon leveled at them

"Crap," Aerrow hissed

"Command this is Delta 2-3, I have three intruders in sector 12, what are your orders?" the soldier asked into his radio

As he spoke with command, Piper's gaze drifted to a crystal fuse box on the wall, close to where they were all standing

"Confirmed, kill all intruders on sight," the soldier said as he received his orders, before sighting the three of them down his rifle

Before he could pull the trigger though, Piper's hand came up as she focused on the fuse box, in particular, the Firebolt crystals contained within. The door to the fuse box, flew open and a crystal flew to Piper's hand

"What the!" the soldier exclaimed, taken off guard by the sudden move

"Sorry about this!" Piper shouted back, before sending a surge of energy into the crystal she was holding and tossing it at the soldier

The crystal seemed to move in slow motion as Piper, Aerrow, Dove and the soldier all turned away from the crystal, trying to get as much distance from it as they could. Then it detonated, Piper Aerrow and Dove were flung down the rest of the corridor away from the blast, they skidded to a stop just shy of the wall. The soldier was not so lucky, the blast sent him slamming into the much closer wall on his side of the corridor, there were several sounds of things breaking, then to make matters worse, the entire corridor began collapsing. Piper and her friends noticed as they saw the soldier get buried beneath the rubble, then watched as the collapse made straight for them, Dove and Aerrow dived to one side, Piper dived in the other direction. The corridor came down behind them, cutting Piper off from her friends

"PIPER!" Aerrow shouted

"AERROW, DOVE!" Piper returned, before the rubble had filled in the corridor behind them completely and they were lost from each others sight

* * *

They just kept coming, more and more of them, soldiers pouring in from every direction, and still the voice demanded their deaths, so Subject C kept on shooting, bolt after bolt fired at the never ending tide of soldiers, each one claiming a new life, it was inevitable though, that something would tip the balance. As Subject C relentlessly attacked the oncoming soldiers, the whole corridor began to shake; Subject C lost her footing and stumbled, as did the soldiers, only the soldiers recovered first. Subject C stood up to see a line of 5 guards leveling their weapons at her, thinking quickly she dived for the cover of a support pillar positioned against the wall of the corridor, as she did, she let off a storm of lightning down the corridor, covering it from wall to wall. At the same time, the guards fired, filling the air with crystal shots, each party's attacks, reached their targets at the same time, the only difference being, Subject C was grazed by one of the shots, before she collapsed behind the safety of the pillar. The soldiers were not so lucky, with nowhere to hide the lightning washed over them, their screams of agony filled the corridor, and then, silence as they crumpled to the floor

Subject C grit her teeth in pain as she clutched her side, she brought her hand away and saw her own blood, the sight caused a stab of pain in her head as images began flashing before her eyes. She saw snow, wooden buildings – _"Cabins"_ – Subject C blinked, she had no idea where that word had come from, it just slotted straight into the image, like it belonged. She also saw bodies, _lots_ of them, and here the images switched wildly with the past and present, everywhere she looked she saw bodies, and heard gunfire, it was all around her, echoing down the corridors, carried on the wind, and the screams. Subject C clutched her head with her free hand, while the other went back to her side in an effort to stem the bleeding

 _I need to find some medical supplies_ she thought to herself, _but I'm so tired, why? Why am I so tired?_ Subject C could feel her eyelids drooping; she had no way of knowing that the guards had been ordered only to wound her, and that all their shots were coated with a tranquilizer. The moment the round had hit her, the tranquilizer had gotten into her bloodstream, now it was circling around her body, shutting her down. The one thing that Long Feng hadn't counted on however, was the person who was currently making their way toward Subject C, and would reach her, before reinforcements did

* * *

Starling's breath was coming in ragged gasps as she took stock of the devastation around her, they'd finally managed to beat the guards they were fighting, but there were bound to be more, _we need to move_

She glanced over at her team, two were injured and one was dead, considering they'd just faced off against about 30 of ALF's finest that was a testament to her team's skill, all the same, Starling _hated_ losing people. "We can't stop, we need to keep going, Ace shouldn't be far now, then we can get out of this wretched place," Starling stated

She got murmurs of agreement from many, but she could see the beginnings of doubt, flickering in their eyes, they'd always known this mission could well be a suicidal one, but it was one thing to think about a mission, quite another to actually perform it, this being a first mission for everyone here... it was a shock, and Starling couldn't blame them, because she was feeling the same way

* * *

Aerrow dug frantically at the rubble trying to get back through, he only succeeded at causing more of the rubble to come tumbling down and nearly burying himself in the process

"Aerrow, pour L'Amour de Dieu, STOP! You are only making it worse!" Dove shouted, pulling him back to prevent rubble falling on him

Aerrow panted hard, "We... have to... reach... Piper... we can't... abandon her,"

"I agree, but it is not worth burying yourself in the rubble, I saw her jump clear so she is alright, we just have to find another way to get to her," Dove replied calmly and soothingly

Aerrow took some deep breaths, he hated abandoning his friends, especially when they _needed_ him, but Dove was right, he was no use to Piper buried under a pile of rubble, "Ok let's go, we need to find a way to link back up with Piper."

They began walking in the only direction they could, the corridor that they'd jumped down, with the rubble behind them and the sounds of combat growing more faint they realized they must be cut off from the fighting

Then all of a sudden a shout erupted close to them "GADAAAAAAAAH!" and something tall and green came running straight at them

Aerrow reacted instinctively and met the charge head on, thrusting one fist forward so that it met their assailant's stomach winding him, then Aerrow used the person's momentum to turn him over and land him on his back, pinning him there. It was at that point that Aerrow noticed his assailant wasn't fighting back, but rather cowering (while also trying to get air back into his lungs)

"Heh look a Merb," Dove said appearing next to Aerrow looking down at the stricken Merb

"I know what you're after intruders but you won't get it! Nothing you do to me will ever get me to talk!" the Merb responded, and though he tried to sound tough, it was very clear to Dove and Aerrow that he was trying to put on a brave face

"There you are Stork, what are you doing, we're in a lock down and..." the second voice trailed off as its owner beheld the scene in front of him

"Junko, get this intruder off me!" the Merb Stork shouted

Aerrow quickly let Stork up as he took in the individual called Junko, a Wallop with a brown hide and bulging muscles, Junko gave him and Dove a quizzical look as they put on their best innocent face, "I don't know Stork, they seem alright to me," Junko replied

"Oh you _would_ say that wouldn't you, always so trusting, I don't know _how_ you've survived this long in our line of work," Stork retorted

Junko just snorted and waved him off before turning Aerrow and Dove, "Don't listen to him, he's just paranoid-"

"I' am _not_ paranoid, I' am _prepared_... for _anything_ ," the last part was said with a creepy glare at Dove and Aerrow

Junko shook his head, "Like I said, pay him no mind, name's Junko, you've already met Stork," he said gesturing to the Merb

"I'm Aerrow," Aerrow replied while nodding, then gestured to Dove, "And this is Dove."

"Bonjour," Dove responded with a little wave

"Ah, un plaisir de vous rencontrer," Junko returned with a little bow, while behind him Stork rolled his eyes

To say Dove was surprised to hear French be spoken by a Wallop was an understatement, she was downright shocked, but pleasantly so

"You speak Français?" Dove asked happily

"Oui madame, I only know a few phrases though, it's a hobby of mine, haven't had a lot to devote to it lately..." Junko replied but was interrupted by Stork

"Yes, yes all very interesting, now what are you two doing here hmm? You're not soldiers that's for sure, and you're not members of base personnel, which means you must be intruders, so what are you doing here?"

Aerrow and Dove glanced at one another, before looking back to the Merb and Wallop, "We're trying to find our friend, she needs us but we got cut off," Aerrow answered

"And what, _exactly_ are you and your friend doing in a _secure_ military facility hmm!?" Stork countered

Aerrow and Dove knew that to answer that question was to admit to treason, but they also knew, Stork wouldn't be satisfied until they gave an answer. Luckily, Junko came to their aid

"Aww come on Stork, don't be like that, their just kids, you _really_ think they could be a threat to security?"

" _Everyone_ , is a threat to security," Stork said in that creepy voice again

"Including you, mon ami?" Dove returned a smirk on her face

Stork opened his mouth to answer, but then stopped midway as his brain processed the exchange they'd just had, then a look of terror overcame him, "Oh Atmos, _I' am_ a threat to security, Junko you gotta hide me, before Long Feng finds out and feeds me to his pet!"

Junko was now the one to roll his eyes at Stork's antics, but Stork's words had peaked Aerrow's curiosity "Long Feng's Pet?" he asked

"Yes, she's a monster, Long Feng keeps her locked up down here, but every now and again, he lets her out of her cage, and puts her into an arena, specially built for her, there he feeds her robots, animals _and_ people... she's the only one to _ever_ come back out... on her _own_ that is," Stork said both with a look of terror on his face and with that slightly creepy look from before

"Ok Stork that's enough of that, Long Feng isn't going to feed you to anyone, ok," Junko reassured his friend

"That is right, we certainly will not tell him... so long as you keep quiet about us," Dove said, the smirk getting bigger

Stork sagged in defeat, "Alright... but not a word of this to _anyone_ ," he said sternly

Aerrow and Dove just smiled and nodded, and then Junko got an idea, "Heh Stork, why don't we show them the ship, that always cheers you up, and you can think of it as practice when you present it to Long Feng."

Stork's face became thoughtful here, then he turned to Dove and Aerrow, "Alright, but can you two keep a secret?" he asked

"Sure," Aerrow responded, while Dove just nodded

"Good... because what I'm about to show you is _so_ top secret, it hasn't even been announced to the Senate yet."

* * *

Piper picked her way along the corridor, not quite sure where she was going, just knowing she had to now link back up with not _only_ Starling, but now Aerrow and Dove as well. Piper sighed, "What a day this has turned out to be, this morning I was doing exams, now I'm running for my life through a secret military facility looking for my friends while trying _not_ to get myself killed," she muttered to herself

Piper then rounded a corner, and beheld a horror scene

The entire corridor was littered with charred corpses of soldiers, the walls covered in scorch marks and most of the lights shattered while those that remained flickered on and off intermittently. It was Piper's only way forward though, she began carefully picking her way around the bodies, then when she was about halfway, she heard a small gasp. She looked towards the source and saw a pair of legs sticking out from behind a steel support beam; they were the only thing in the room that wasn't charred, though as the lights flickered on again, Piper saw the blood near the top of the right leg

Piper reacted instantly, looking around for something _anything_ she could use. She then spotted a box positioned on one of the walls, _a first aid kit!_ Piper thought with jubilation, she rushed over to it and pried it off the charred wall, then she had to pry it open, she did this by taking one of the crystals that powered the guard's weapons and used that crystal to clean up a piece of metal that she used to cut off the latches of the kit.

She was just about to take the necessary supplies over to the survivor, when someone grabbed her by her jumpsuit and pinned her to the wall, right beneath one of the flickering lights. Currently it was on in such a way that Piper could see the face of the girl who now had her pinned quite clearly, while Piper herself was still swathed in shadow. The girl had dark, violet colored hair and dark violet eyes, but it wasn't so much the colour that caught Piper's attention, it was the way they looked, dead, and completely devoid of life, Piper's only way of telling that this girl was alive, was by the small subtle movement of her torso which indicated breathing.

"Who are you!?" the girl snapped

"P-Piper," Piper replied, and then she got brave, "Are you Lark?"

The girl's eyes narrowed at that, "You're the _second_ person to call me that today," she said coldly

 _Well that's not really an answer_ , Piper thought, "Who was the first?" Piper asked

"He called himself Ace, he was a traitor to the republic... are _you_ a traitor too?" she replied, the hand that had been clasping her side rising up, blood standing out on her pale skin as sparks began to flicker between her fingers

Piper thought quickly, "No I'm not a traitor, I just came here to help a friend," Piper replied

The hand was not lowered, but it did now stop moving towards her, "Explain?"

 _Carefully Piper, even if this is Starling's sister, she's clearly had something done to her head, she could snap and kill you at any moment_ , Piper reminded herself, then she took a breath. "I followed your sister Starling down here, she asked for my help in getting you out. At first I turned her down, I was too scared to risk my entire future on this rescue, but I changed my mind, not because I'm siding with the Cyclonians, but because it's the _right_ thing to do," Piper explained

Subject C blinked, _she'd come down here just because of that_ , this was an entirely new concept for Subject C and she couldn't understand it, _what does this mean, is she a threat... should I kill her?"_

 _Yes!_ Came that dark voice again, _she is an obstacle, REMOVE her, NOW!_

 _Why?_ Came the voice from before, the voice that had spoken before Ace had arrived in her cell, _she's not fighting you, and she was about to administer medical aid to you_

Subject C glanced at the first aid kit lying open nearby, then she focused on the Piper again, as she did, the rest of the light above them flickered on, and Subject C could see Piper's face, she gave an audible gasp as she did

 _Blue tinted hair, blue and orange jumpsuit, an orange headband and amber eyes_. Subject C's dream came flooding back to her, only now she could see the figure standing next to her clearly, and they were an exact match to Piper.

They stared at one another for some time, then Subject C's injuries made themselves known, "Your hurt, here let me help you," Piper said attempting to get to the first aid kit

Subject C pressed her harder against the wall, giving a small growl as she did, but then winced in pain again, her free hand going to her side again, "Please, I have the supplies I need, I can have you patched up in a jiffy," Piper tried again

Subject C finally relented, she wasn't going anywhere with a hole in her side, _and besides, this Piper might know the way out_ said the calmer voice, to which the dark one had no answer. As Subject C released Piper however, she gave one final warning, "One wrong move, and you'll never know what hit you, am I clear?"

Piper nodded, "Crystal," she replied, then she got Subject C to lie on her back while she got to work cleaning and closing the wound

As she worked she spoke, "So... what _is_ your name?" Piper asked

"I don't have one," Subject C replied emotionlessly

Piper blanched, "That's ridiculous, _everyone_ has a name."

"Not me," Subject C stated

Piper sighed, then decided to try something else, "Ok well... what do people _call_ you?"

"Subject C" she replied

Piper shook her head, "That's not a name, it's a designation," Piper then thought for a moment, _she does look an awful lot like Starling, same pointed chin, same wide intelligent brow, in fact I'd say hers is more pronounced than Starling's. Their speech patterns are also similar, then taking into account that she's a crystal mage as well as that dead look in her eyes, which I can only assume is the cause of what she'd suffered while she's been here, means there's a_ _ **high**_ _likely hood, that she_ _ **is**_ _Starling's sister_

"How about Lark, Starling mentioned someone called Ace, so if that's what he called you, I'd say it's a safe bet that Lark is your _real_ name," Piper said

Subject C looked up at Piper as the dark skinned girl continued to tend to her wound, she realized that Piper was showing her something that she hadn't received in the last nine years, _kindness, compassion, understanding_. For as long as Subject C could remember, all she had experienced had been cruelty, abuse and humiliation, now she was experiencing something new, and she _liked_ how it felt

Subject C smiled, "Ok, I quite like it actually," she replied

Piper smiled back, then busied herself with her task; more soldiers were bound to be along soon, so they needed to be gone before then. As she worked though, Piper came to a realization; she had entered this facility with the intent to apologize to Starling and give her whatever help she could. Now however, she had only _one_ goal in mind, she was going to get Lark out of here, away from this hell hole, and then she was going to do whatever she could to help Lark _live_ again. Piper didn't know what Long Feng had done to this poor girl – a girl who was Piper's own age – but whatever it was, it was bad enough to turn her into a walking, talking corpse, and Piper was going to do _everything_ in her power to fix that, and give Lark back her life

* * *

 _ **To be continued dear Mortals**_

 **What... no there is no evil laugh this time, it was getting old... maybe I'll bring it back out again later on in the story but for now I'm tired of it  
**

 **Now for the French translations (I had fun with these this chapter, I'm actually quite liking writing Dove's dialogue ; )**

 **Mon Dieu = My God**

 **Cretins = Morons  
**

 **Exactement = Exactly  
**

 **Pour L'Amour de Dieu = For the love of God  
**

 **Bonjour = Hello (come on guys this is an easy one)  
**

 **Un plaisir de vous rencontrer = A pleasure to meet you  
**

 **Français = French (I'm not actually that sure on this one, I think it's right but please don't quote me on it)  
**

 **Oui madame = Yes Madam (another easy one)  
**

 **Mon ami = My friend  
**

 **If your liking this story so far please feel free to leave a review and as always constructive criticism is welcome, I'll see you all next time ; )**


	5. Chp4: Lockdown

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters, locations, equipment etc used in this story, it exists purely because I want it to**

 **WARNING: This Story contain themes of violence, torture, segregation, slavery and death (not necessarily in that order). Graphic content has been kept to a minimum to avoid M rating, even so, viewer discretion is advised**

 **I LIIIIIVEEEEEEEEEEEE!**

 **wow... three months... I honestly have no excuse, I kept trying to pick this chapter up and get it finished but I just could never find the motivation, I'm going to blame an inspiration slump**

 **Anyway, that's now over and I'm back baby!**

 **So, Chapter 4, the fifth installment of this story, as we saw last time, Starling and her team attempted to raid Long Feng's secret base and break Lark out, who had been freed from her cell by Ace who had joined the Cyclonians side some time ago. Only things didn't go according to plan, Ace has been injured by Lark due to the conditioning that Long Feng has placed on her, Lark then proceeded to go on a rampage throughout the facility**

 **Meanwhile, Piper - after getting a first hand if _small_ impression of the man Long Feng truly is - woke up and decided that the _righteous_ path is worth it, no matter what the cost, even her own future. Aerrow and Dove, concerned for Piper follow her and agree to help her despite knowing their making the same sacrifice that Piper is. After getting separated from Piper, Dove and Aerrow encounter Stork and Junko who have been working on a secret project (more on that this chapter ; P ). Piper in the meantime encountered an injured Lark, after a brief confrontation, Piper patches up the minor injury and makes the decision to help Lark regain the life that has been taken from her**

 **Now, we shall continue, at LONG LAST!**

 **Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, dear Readers ( _and Mortals_ ) all, welcome back to... The Storm and the Hawk**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 4: Lockdown**_

The base commander was panicking, he had Cyclonians running rampant through several levels of the base, an unexplained explosion had collapsed an entire corridor practically sealing off a portion of the base, and worst of all, Subject C had disappeared. The whole thing was a mess and the commander just knew he was going to be severely punished by Administrator Long Feng when he returned

As if on que, the phone began ringing, command personnel stared at it like it led to the very wastelands themselves. Taking a deep breath, the commander carefully picked it up, as if he was handling a live grenade, the voice he'd been dreading came through the speaker after picking it up

"Give me a progress report," Long Feng ordered

The commander gulped, "Well sir, we're still trying to contain the Cyclonians, we'll have the situation in hand soon..."

"I meant concerning Subject C!" Long Feng growled

The commander flinched before answering "Well sir, we've actually... lost sight of her."

Silence, then came the reply, "What do you mean you _lost_ sight of her?" Long Feng asked, his voice surprisingly calm and neutral

"Well sir, you see, we've had additional intruders, some kids from the academy it looks like, one of them used a Firebolt crystal to collapse an entire corridor, the one that did it was then forced into a path that intercepted Subject C, she reached her first and well... they've disappeared sir, we can't find them." After the commander was finished explaining the situation he waited with baited breath for the inevitable hammer fall

To his immense surprise, it did not come, instead Long Feng spoke again in that same calm neutral manner, "Did this new intruder have blue hair and dark skin?"

"Erm, yes, yes sir she did," the commander answered, a new thread of hope in his voice

"Then everything is on track, if not as expected, continue with the plan and begin lockdown immediately," Long Feng ordered

"Yes sir, right away sir!" the commander replied, as the last syllable left the man's mouth, Long Feng hung up

While the commander began issuing orders, Long Feng sat in the stands watching the youth of Atmos attempt to prove themselves worthy Skyknights. _Well Piper, I never expected you would go this far for a friend, though in hindsight I really should have... that being the case, you have just made this far easier for me_

* * *

Piper carefully peered round a corner, getting a glimpse down the corridor they were about to enter, empty, for now, she glanced back at the girl following her, Starling's sister, Lark. It was clear to Piper that she wasn't used to the name yet, but that was little surprise when Piper thought about what this girl had been through, _and it's up to me to help her recover, to help her remember who she is_. As she watched the girl though, a thought occurred to Piper, _what if she doesn't want to remember, the way Starling made it sound, Ace was supposed to get her out of here, but where is he? Lark accused me of treason before, what if she did the same with Ace? What if she killed him?_

Piper was broken from her thoughts however by Lark's voice, "So how do we get out of here?"

The question had a healthy dose of desperation to it, whether she was conscious of it or not, Lark was desperate to leave this place. That realization set Piper's mind at ease somewhat, _I can't even begin to imagine what she's been through these past nine years, what she's had to endure, of course she's going to be confused, irrational, her thought processes muddled by years of torture_

Piper looked back and gave a small smile, "First we find my friends, then we retrace our steps and reach the surface."

Lark nodded, "Sounds good, let's get going already."

Piper nodded in turn as they continued to proceed down the hallways, which for the moment remained deserted, _first we get out of this place, then we find out the extent of the damage done to her mind, then we fix it... no matter what, I can't imagine anyone wanting to live a life like the one she has up until now_

* * *

Aerrow and Dove stared up at the sky-dock, their mouths hanging open in awe, in front of them was the most amazing ship they'd ever seen. She was sleek, streamlined, yet still possessed a spacious hanger, enough for a whole squadron of Skyknights. Two large side panels had the ability to fold away to reveal two ship board cannons. The bridge was raised above and behind the runway for the Skyrides the ship would carry, alongside the runway were the float engines that would keep the ship in the air, on the front of both, the hull had been styled to resemble the beak of a bird of prey. The engines were behind the bridge and though they appeared small, both Aerrow and Dove knew enough about ships to know that they packed a _"wallop"_. The main body of the ship – the area with the bridge, behind the runway – was painted in a light navy blue colour, and under the lights of the underground hanger, the ship simmered and gleamed

"Wow, that's the most amazing ship I've ever seen," Aerrow exclaimed

"Absolument," Dove breathed beside him

Stork stood off to one side, a smug grin on his face "Yep she's my pride and joy, I call her the _Condor_ ," he said turning to the ship and patting the hull fondly "And she's going to revolutionize modern air craft," he continued looking up at the ship in pride

"How so?" Dove asked curious

Stork gained an excited look here, "She's the fastest ship in her class, more agile too, yet she still has enough room to field a full squadron, perhaps two at a stretch. The materials used in her design are lightweight but sturdy and she's more fuel efficient than any other ship in the Atmos, able to travel farther and faster than any other ship her size or larger on less." Here Stork paused to admire his ship once more, "She's above and beyond any ship currently flying, and it's my dream that one day, she or her successors will safely navigate the Great Expanse and reach... 'The Far Side'."

Dove and Aerrow looked up at the ship in awe; people had always talked about navigating the Great Expanse, many had of course tried, none had succeeded, and few had returned to tell the tale. The Great Expanse was a barren stretch of land which went on in every direction, strange energies coursed across it and there were rumors of beasts and supernatural spirits lying in wait for an unwary ship to fall into their laps. Navigation in the Great Expanse was impossible, so the thought that this Merb and Wallop might have developed a ship capable of _reaching_ the other side of the Great Expanse was an incredible achievement

"Do you think we could take a look inside?" Dove asked, her eyes big and pleading

Stork was caught off guard for a moment by Dove's eyes, and scratched the back of his head nervously, "Well I don't know, she's not quite finished yet and I was planning on giving the first tour to Administrator Long Feng."

"Oh come on Stork just a peak, I promise we won't breath a word of what's on there," Aerrow said, his own eyes brimming with excitement

Stork thought about it for a moment before finally giving in, "Ok, just a peak."

* * *

Starling gritted her teeth as yet more ALF soldiers blocked their path, "At this rate we're _never_ going to find Lark," Starling growled in frustration

Just then Ravess came running up from one of their other positions in the next room, "They've started locking the base down, the way we came in is completely blocked off."

Ravess's words sent a chill through everyone there, they were effectively trapped, and they _still_ had not completed their objective, "Then we make our own, we _have_ to keep pushing, Lark _has_ to be here somewhere!" Starling exclaimed

"I agree your highness, but we're in no shape to both find her _and_ get out safely, if Ace is alive and has completed his mission only to unable to contact us, then his standing orders are to get Lark out to the rendezvous, meaning _our_ primary concern is getting _you_ out safely your highness," Ravess replied

Starling looked at her aghast, "You mean just _abandon_ the mission!" she yelled

"No your highness, _we_ will stay until the last possible moment to determine if Lark is still in the base, but we cannot risk losing _you_ as well, therefore, _you_ must flee while our enemy is still in disarray, while you still have the chance to escape," Ravess replied, her voice deceptively calm for what she was suggesting

Starling looked at her, mouth agape not quite able to believe that Ravess had, quite simple, told Starling to leave them all behind. She quickly got control of herself and her eyes hardened, "No, I will _not_ abandon you, _any_ of you!"

Ravess sighed, "Your highness, whether or not Lark is free we still don't know where she is, and only you have the codes to call in the extraction team. Even if Ace got her out and is taking her to the rendezvous, without the transmission codes the extraction team will never know they are there, meaning that if _our_ people are to have a future, _you_ must remain free at all costs."

"She's right," Snipe grunted as he fired a heavy weapon at their enemies, blowing out a portion of the defenses they were hiding behind, "If you're captured the resistance is finished, your grandmother gave us specific orders that at all costs, _you_ were to remain alive and free, no matter _what_ that cost may be."

Starling looked at them both, then at the rest of her troops, all of them had resigned but determined looks on their faces, she felt tears well up in her eyes as she realised they were right, and were not going to take 'no' for an answer. She quickly blinked her tears away before turning back to Ravess, "Fine, you win, but I have one last order for all of you," she stated firmly

Ravess nodded as she waited for the order, "Stay alive, no matter what, your safety comes first, stay alive and meet me back home," Starling completed

Ravess smiled, as she, her brother and the rest of the task force responded, "We hear and obey your highness!"

Starling smiled at that, then glanced towards an empty corridor that led away from the fighting, "Go," Ravess said, "We'll cover you."

Starling nodded, and as her troops rose up as one to pour fire into the enemy, Starling made a break for it, as she ran, even after leaving the fighting well behind her, all she could think about was one thing, _I failed, I lost, you were right grandmother, I was a fool_

* * *

Piper was beginning to relax; they'd been seeing significantly less and less guards as they made their way through the complex. That was until they got back into a familiar area, Piper was looking down the corridor they had initially used to enter the complex, however, rather than a scene of destruction and death, now it was full of soldiers guarding the entry point

Piper swore as she pulled back behind the corner they were at, Lark then spoke, "Something wrong?"

Piper sighed, "Their locking down the base, the way we came in is no longer an option," she replied

Lark frowned, "Yes it is, if they're in our way we just need to kill them and be done with it," moving to step forward

Piper panicked and grabbed hold of Lark pulling her back, "No!" she hissed while Lark looked at her confused

"What's the problem, they're in our way, that makes them a threat, threat's need to be eliminated," Lark responded

Piper gave her a glare, "You can't just go around killing people, those men down there probably have friends and family on the outside, people who care about them, if you kill them all your doing is creating pain and hate," Piper countered, then an idea came, "And turning _them_ into threats in turn."

"If that's the case so be it, anyone who is a threat must be eliminated, that is the way of things," Lark replied, her voice devoid of emotion, and Piper saw once again that dead look come back into her eyes

Steeling her resolve, Piper played her trump card, "Does that mean that if the entire world became a threat, you'd wipe out _everyone_?"

Lark's mouth opened to respond, but then stopped as a spark of emotion ignited in her eyes, Piper smiled, _I was right, there's more than one person inside her head, there's the emotionless girl, the weapon Starling said she was being turned into. Then there's the little girl from nine years ago, still clinging on despite everything, still fighting for control of her own mind_

"If you wipe out everyone what becomes the point of it all, what are you protecting from threats if there's no one left to protect?" Piper continued knowing she'd already won this but simply wanted to drive the hammer blow home

Lark's face became a rictus of confusion as she tried to process this, "But threats need to be eliminated... no that can't be right... there has to be some mistake."

Piper observed the self debate and let it go on for a bit, before jumping in herself, "Not everything has to be resolved with violence Lark," – said girl gave a twitch as Piper said the name – "There are other ways, you don't need to _kill_ to achieve something."

The silence stretched out for some time before Lark gave a sigh her eyes closing, when they opened again, the dead look had been replaced with the standard stare that was a sort of midway point between true emotion and the dead eyed look of the weapon this girl had been turned into. "Alright, then what would you suggest?" Lark asked

Piper gave a sigh of relief as she let go of Lark before taking another peak round the corner, _we have to find another way out_. As Piper stared at the corridor filled with soldiers she noticed a room between them and the now closed blast door, the door to the room was open and through it, Piper could see a map of the facility. Piper's eyes widened as she notice a line down one of the corridors that issued a safety warning, Piper realized that was the corridor she had accidentally collapsed with the Firebolt crystal. She carefully scrutinized the map, finding the corridor that Aerrow and Dove had jumped into to escape the debris, she then followed it and saw that it ultimately ended in a _very_ large room with a single word written on it, _'Hanger bay'_

* * *

Aerrow and Dove stood in awe on the bridge of the _Condor_ , it was truly a magnificent ship, with top of the line tech, a highly advanced radar system, sonar, and array of sensory and navigation equipment, the works

"Well, what do you think?" Stork asked

"She's incredible," Aerrow breathed

"Magnifique," Dove agreed

As the two of them were admiring the ship, Junko came up to the bridge, "Heh guys, just so you know, the whole base is going into lockdown, I think you two should find a way out of here and quick."

That broke Aerrow and Dove from their reverie of the ship, Aerrow was about to speak when he noticed something out the window of the bridge, "No way," he breathed as he began rushing to the exit ramp the others following close behind

* * *

Starling pressed herself against the wall as another group of ALF troops rushed through the next corridor, the base lockdown was progressing fast, she _needed_ to find a way out and quickly, luckily, she already had an escape route in mind. Finally she arrived where she wanted to be, the hanger bay, where Ace had discovered a highly advanced ship being constructed, according to Ace's last report on it, the ship was pretty much complete, at the very least it was sky-worthy

She had just entered the hanger bay and was starting to make her way over to the ship from behind, when she saw Aerrow and Dove come running down the ramp and head off in the opposite direction to her, followed by two people she didn't know, a Merb and a Wallop. Curious, she followed the path they were taking to the other end of the hanger, where she was shocked to see Piper walking towards them, and with her, was someone very familiar, but at this distance, Starling couldn't quite make out details

Starling began marching towards them herself, determined to find out just what in Atmos's name Piper, Aerrow and Dove were doing down here, and exactly _who_ was with them

* * *

Finding the hanger had not been difficult; Piper had simply cross-referenced what she knew about the area they were in with the map in the security room, despite the distance the map was still easy enough to read. From that she had found the fastest route to the hanger and had quickly led Lark down it, now they emerged to see a sleek streamlined ship that looked fresh off the production line waiting for them, but that wasn't all

As they approached a voice called out to them and Piper's heart leapt when she discovered the source, "Piper!" Aerrow and Dove both yelled as they raced towards her, a Merb and Wallop following

Piper moved forward and embraced her friends as they reunited. Behind Piper; Lark looked on, curious as to this interaction and what exactly it meant

Then the three of them separated, "You're okay, we thought you got crushed or were captured or something?" Aerrow exclaimed

Piper just smiled as she answered, "And what about you two, for all I knew the same had happened to you."

"It almost did, this cretin would not stop digging into the rubble, until I shouted at him to stop," Dove said rolling her eyes at Aerrow who scratched the back of his head nervously

"I was worried about you, I just wanted to know you were okay," he said

Piper smiled at that, "Aww Aerrow and here I thought you didn't care," Piper replied teasingly causing Dove to giggle and Aerrow to go bright red

Before their conversation could continue, Stork cleared his throat behind them, " _This_ , I assume is your _friend_?" he asked gesturing to Piper

"That's right," Aerrow replied

Stork nodded as if this was all well and good, "Good good, by the way, my name is Stork and this is my assistant Junko," Stork said gesturing first to himself and then to Junko, whose face was now very pale

"Nice to meet you," Piper began but was cut off as Stork continued

"And I have only _one_ question," he now pointed a shaking finger at Lark, "What is _she_ doing here?" he asked, his voice rising to a high pitched squeak

Piper – much to her shame – had almost completely forgotten about Lark and quickly turned to her and brought her forward, "Oh right sorry, guys this is..."

But Piper didn't get to finish as a new voice entered the conversation, and beat Piper to the punch, "Lark," the name was breathed out by the new arrival, as if the owner of the voice wasn't quite able to believe what they were seeing

Everyone turned to see Starling standing between them and the _Condor_ , staring at Lark, who stared right back, "I'm sorry, do I know you?" Lark replied

Starling began walking forward as if in a daze, "Lark it's me, Starling, your big sister, I came to get you out," she said, her voice filled with both relief and hope at seeing her sister again for the first time in nine years

"I can't even begin to tell you how much I've..." but Starling was cut off as she attempted to close the space between them and embrace her sister, as at that moment, Lark had pulled her hand up and fired off a blast of energy that sent Starling back a few feet and landed her on her backside

She stared up at Lark in shock as she realized what had just happened, then Lark began to _loom_ over her, "Take note of this, I _don't_ know you, anyone I _don't_ know, I don't _trust_ , so stay away from me, or you'll wish you were in the middle of the wastelands!" Lark growled dangerously

Starling was too shocked to be able to speak for several moments, then she found her voice, "Lark it's me Starling, don't you recognize me?" she pleaded

"I told you I don't _know_ _you_!" Lark snarled raising a fist that now began to spark with electricity

Everyone backed away from the two of them, everyone except Piper who dove between them holding out a hand to both, "Whoa heh there let's just all calm down shall we," she began alternately staring them both down before fixing her gaze on Lark, "Lark she didn't mean any harm, okay, there's no need to get angry or do something drastic... _understand_." The final word of Piper's sentence was loaded with the message delivered in their _last_ little debate

Lark looked between Piper and Starling, her eyes cold and hard, but Piper noticed with some satisfaction that they did not have the dead look from earlier. Finally, Lark relented and lowered her arm, the sparks fizzling out one by one, "Fine, just keep her away from me," she replied before moving a short distance away

Piper breathed a sigh of relief before turning to Starling and helped her to her feet, "Don't worry Starling, I can explain," Piper began

Starling still dazed took a moment, then she rounded on Piper, "You can start by telling me _what_ _in the wastelands_ your _doing_ down here and _why_ you dragged Aerrow and Dove into this too!?" she exclaimed

Piper bowed her head in shame, "I'm sorry."

Starling blinked, she hadn't been expecting _that_ response, "What do you mean?"

Piper sighed, "I'm sorry I didn't have the guts to agree to help you when you asked me to, I broke my promise to you... I had to make it up in some way," Piper explained, then gestured to Aerrow and Dove, "And these two wouldn't take no for an answer so they joined me, despite my best efforts to talk them out of it."

Aerrow and Dove both grinned sheepishly as Starling stared at them blankly, _they had risked coming down here, had thrown away their entire futures just to help Piper help me?_

The thought swirled around inside Starling's head as she attempted to process the fact that, not one, not two, but _three_ young Atmosians had chosen to help her, despite knowing full well that they were throwing their lives away to do it

Speaking of Atmosians, "Where's Ace, if you found Lark you _must_ have seen him, tall guy, dark hair, red eyes, carries a double handed sword?" Starling asked

Piper, Dove and Aerrow all shook their heads, "I found Lark in a corridor littered with charred corpses, all soldiers by the looks of things, I never saw anyone fitting that description."

In the background Stork muttered "Would you even be able to recognize those features on a _charred_ body?"

Suddenly Lark spoke up, "I saw him."

Everyone turned to her, "Of course, otherwise how would you have gotten out of your cell," Starling began before moving up to Lark and only stopped when she was a respectable distance, "Where is he, what's he doing and does he have any kind of message for me?" Starling asked

Lark shook her head, "I don't know, everything from before I met Piper is all blurry, it's just disjointed images and flashes of colour and light, all I remember is seeing a man with dark hair and red eyes nothing more nothing less."

Starling stared at her incredulously, "But he was supposed to get you out, what happened, how did you get separated, why wasn't he with you!?" Starling exclaimed

"I don't know," Lark responded forcefully, electricity sparking once more around her hand

Starling backed off at that, but continued to give Lark a hard look, then Stork spoke up, "What if _she_ killed him?" he said, pointing at Lark

Aerrow, Dove and Junko all looked at Lark with mixed expressions of suspicion and fear, Lark stared back at them, her own expression wary, and her hand flexed a small spark darting between her fingers. Just then however, Piper stepped in, "Alright guys that's enough, you don't know what she's been through," Piper stated firmly

"Do you?" Junko asked, their stares now fixed on Piper

Piper glanced at Lark who looked back at her curiously, "No, but I have my suspicions, when I found her she didn't seem to be anything more than a walking, talking corpse, her eyes had this dead look to them and her voice had almost no emotion to it," Piper began while everyone simply stared at her. "I don't know the details of what she's been through down here, but quite frankly, I don't _want_ to know... according to Starling, she's been here since she was six years old, so the thought I keep coming back to, is what could turn a six year old girl, into a dead eyed fifteen year old girl, who reacts only on basic instinct," Piper continued before turning to the others, "If it had been you, if you'd been trapped, tortured, tormented for nine years of your life and were suddenly freed into a chaotic situation, with armed men coming at you from every direction, what would _you_ do, just to survive and see the light of day again?"

Silence followed Piper's speech, no one knew what to say, behind Piper, Lark stared at this girl who had shown Lark the first act of kindness she had received in nine years, who was now helping Lark escape the people who had kept her locked up, and who now stood in Lark's defence against the people who Piper considered friends. _She doesn't even_ _ **know**_ _me, we've only just met, and she's already willing to stand up for me, to help me, protect me_

Piper finally broke the silence, "Right now is not the time to be pointing fingers or suspicion, what we _need_ to do right now is get out of here, and once we've reached safety, then we can discuss this further, agreed?"

Aerrow and Dove both looked at one another, then looked to Piper, "We trust you Piper, if you think Lark's okay, then we're with you," Aerrow said

"Besides, it is about time we got out of here tout suite," Dove added

Starling shook her head, "I hate leaving Ace here, not knowing what's become of him..." she trailed off as she looked to Lark, "But whether you remember me or not, your _still_ my sister, and _your_ safety comes first

Lark rolled her eyes at that, "Whatever you say."

Stork now cleared his throat, "Well good luck with that, have a great day, so sad to see you go, now if you don't mind I have work to be getting on with, exit is right over that way, so goodbye now."

Starling chuckled in response, "Sorry, but I'm afraid for the escape I have in mind, I'm going to need to _borrow_ your ship."

Stork blanched here, "What, NO! You're not taking my ship! Over my dead body!" he shouted

"That can be arranged," Lark said while twirling sparks between her fingers

"Lark!" Piper exclaimed

"Kidding," Lark replied a small, happy smile on her face, Piper blinked, it was a small thing, but any show of emotion and feeling from Lark was a _good_ thing

 _It's going to take time, probably years, even if it does though, I'm going to help her recover what she's lost_ , Piper thought to herself, smiling as well

Starling rolled her eyes, while wearing her own smile, like she knew something Piper didn't, then she turned to Stork, "Look I don't care if I have to knock you out and take the keys, I _need_ that ship," she said pointing at the _Condor_ , "So you can either hand it over, or get hurt, your choice."

Stork was torn, he clearly knew he was outmatched by Starling, but he was _damned_ if he was going to give up his pride and joy, he quickly turned to Junko for aid "Aren't you going to _help_ me!?" he demanded

Junko looked between Stork and the others, "I don't know Stork, I mean we always knew Long Feng did some pretty bad things down here, but torturing a six year old girl..." Junko trailed off

Stork gave him a deadpan look, "You can't be serious?"

Junko just gave a shrug, "Helping them just feels like the _right_ thing to do," he replied

Dove suddenly heard the sound of approaching boots from down one of the hallways while everyone was talking, and quickly went over to Stork when she did and put an arm around his shoulders. "Look mon ami, you have two choices here, you can help us steal your ship and get out of here, staying free at least for the foreseeable future..." Dove began, meanwhile everyone else _but_ Stork had begun hearing the approaching soldiers as well, " _Or_ we can steal the ship _from_ you and _you_ can explain to Long Feng what three Academy students, a Cyclonian Princess and her sister whom he was experimenting on, were doing in _your_ hanger, your choice."

The term going pale, would not have worked for Stork, Merb's did not turn _pale_ , instead, he went from grass green, to sickly green, as what Dove said began to sink in, then he sighed and pulled out a set of keys. "Alright, you win," he said, to which everyone breathed a sigh of relief, before anyone could start moving towards the ship though, Stork continued, "But _I'm_ the only one allowed to drive her," he finished sternly to which he got muttered agreements from all

A few minutes later the soldiers dispatched to the hanger watched as the doors to the hanger opened and the _Condor_ ascended out of base and into the sky

* * *

Back at Traven Academy, the Skyknight exams came to a sudden halt as a rumbling shook the area, everyone then watched in astonishment as a ship rose out of the Terra just beyond the Academy grounds

While most people stared in shock, there were two who bore different expressions. One was Long Feng, who was smiling, _so that's the escape route she chose, well, well, a little showy but it will do, let the games begin_

The other was Alexander Traven, who stood alongside his long time friend and the person who had been second in command of the Interceptors, Tia, both had noticed Long Feng's expression. "Alex," Tia began a tone of worry in her voice, but Traven held up a hand to her

"Looks like things are moving faster than expected, start sending out messages to everyone we have left, _Operation Redemption_ is a go," Traven said, to which Tia nodded, as they watched the ship fly off, away from the Terra

* * *

 **And there we have it, most of our team of heroes are now gathered together, we're just missing two people, we'll be picking them soon, for now, as Long Feng/(Ass) put it, _"Let the games begin."_  
**

 **if your liking this story please feel free to leave a review, sorry for the long wait, hopefully the next chapter won't take as long, constructive criticism is welcome and I shall see you all, next time ; )**


	6. Chp5: A People in Chains

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters, locations, equipment etc used in this story, it exists purely because I want it to**

 **WARNING: This Story contain themes of violence, torture, segregation, slavery and death (not necessarily in that order). Graphic content has been kept to a minimum to avoid M rating, even so, viewer discretion is advised**

 **I DONE GOOFED!  
**

 **I forgot the French translations last chapter, don't worry, here they are instead**

 **Absolument = Absolutely  
**

 **Magnifique = Magnificent  
**

 **(I've done this one on a previous chapter, but I'll include it anyway) Cretin = Moron  
**

 **Mon ami = Friend (Also one from a previous chapter, but what the heck)  
**

 **Now with that out the way**

 **HELLO EVERYONE AND WELCOME BACK TO... 'THE STORM AND THE HAWK' CHAPTER 5**

 **I'm sorry to say, but it's exposition time, we're going to learn a few more details about Long Feng's attack on the Cyclonian resistance nine years ago and his kidnap of Lark, as well what exactly goes on behind the scenes at the Cyclonian segregation camps, that the Senate doesn't want the people of Atmos knowing about, along with a few other details**

 **Also, I'm making a slight change to the story, don't worry it's nothing drastic, it's simply an alteration of half a characters name and it's not even going to have that great of an impact. See the thing is, when I started writing this story, I knew that the last name of the actress who voiced Piper in the show was Zanni, so I thought I'd be clever and make that Piper's actual last name too. However, after thinking about it for a while, and running the name over and over again in my mind, I've decided I don't like it, so I'm changing Piper's last name in this story to Peregrine instead. Again, it's not really going to impact anything major, and when I have the time, I'll change it in chapter 1, I just didn't like the sound of it**

 **And if _anyone_ , wants to have a go at me for that, well... _YOUR SOUL WILL BE ABOUT AS MUCH OF A BLASTED WASTELAND AS 70% OF THE ATMOS SONNY!_**

 **Ahem, excuse me  
**

 **Anyway, on with the show**

 **Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, Dear Readers (and Mortals) all, welcome back to... The Storm and the Hawk**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 5: A People in Chains**_

 **Several hours later**

Ace could feel his head thumping and his side throbbing in pain as consciousness slowly returned to him, the first thing he became aware of was that he was strapped to a chair, a very _familiar_ chair. It was Lark's chair, the chair Long Feng used to torture her, a chair that, because of the role Ace had needed to play, he himself had escorted her too on multiple occasions, completely helpless as she had screamed from the agony the chair inflicted upon her. Now he was sat in it, that did _not_ bode well

The doors to the room suddenly opened and Long Feng himself walked through, from his expression, Ace could tell he was unhappy about something, and new hope flared within Ace

"She got away," he said smugly, which caused an infinitesimal twitch from Long Feng

"Indeed, along with her sister, two of my engineers, a new ship and three Academy students," Long Feng replied tersely

"Bet this is pretty humbling for you," Ace noted, "The great Long Feng, Atmosia's greatest hero, bested by the daughter of the man you murdered, she isn't even twenty and she handed your ass to you without a sweat," Ace chuckled

Long Feng studied Ace for a moment, and then began chuckling himself. Ace stared at him confused, before Long Feng spoke, "Humbling, hardly, just annoyed that I didn't pick up on Subject C being the _younger_ sister, or that she _had_ a sister at all."

Now Ace was thoroughly confused, "But she _beat_ you," Ace started, but was cut off as Long Feng continued

"Oh I always knew she was a part of the resistance, from the moment she came to the Academy I knew she was a part of it," Long Feng began, "I knew about the secret training she and the other Cyclonians were educating themselves in, about the plan to break Subject C out," at Ace's widened eyes, Long Feng began smirking as he nodded towards his captive, "Yes, I even knew about _you_ , how you were working from the inside, providing Starling with Intel, how it would be _your_ task to break Subject C out of her cell. I, knew, _everything_." He finished smiling

"Well, _almost_ everything, if I had known Starling was a Cyclonis, I _might_ have done things differently," here Long Feng paused to give Ace a sly look, "Like bend Starling to my will as well,"

Ace could only stare at the man – no – the _monster_ before him in shock, _he had known, but if he had known then why?_

Suddenly Ace felt the pieces click into place, _he_ _ **let**_ _them get away, he_ _ **wants**_ _them to go back to the resistance, I thought Lark attacking me was merely to disrupt the plan to break her out, but it's_ _ **worse**_ _than that. Now Starling will take Lark back to the resistance, back to their grandmother, Master Anarchis Cyclonis..._

"You're using Lark as an assassin, one Anarchis will _never_ suspect," Ace breathed

Long Feng smiled a toothy grin, "Very good, I knew you were a bright one," he said, patting Ace's cheek, "It certainly adds to your value."

Ace snapped back into the present at those words, "Value?" he asked, confused

"Indeed, I'm always on the lookout for new tools to do my bidding and increase my power," as Long Feng spoke, he activated the mechanical arms sprouting out of the chair, which hummed to life

Ace could only stare up in terror at the fate that awaited him

* * *

Starling carefully observed the scopes, checking every screen to make sure they were clear of any contacts, "Your absolutely sure they can't follow or sneak up on us right?" she asked, glancing in Stork's direction

Stork gave a dry chuckle, "If they had a ship that could follow us _and_ sneak up on us, then _I'd_ be out of a job."

"Didn't you say this ship wasn't finished yet?" Aerrow asked

All eyes went to Stork, but it was Junko who spoke up, "There are still a few kinks to work out, but everything works as it's supposed to, other than that, there are just a few rooms that need to be completed, but they're not important from a practical stand point."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief at that, and Starling finally stopped checking the scopes, they'd been flying for several hours now without pursuit, it was safe to say they had successfully escaped. Starling picked up her radio and set it to Ravess's frequency

"Ravess, come in Ravess, can you hear me?" she asked, but all she got in response was static, "Ravess if you can hear me, I have Lark, Ace got her out of her cell, but they got separated, I met up with Piper and a couple of her friends, we commandeered a ship and are heading for the rendezvous, we'll wait there for 24 hours for you to catch up. If we don't hear from you before then, we'll assume..." Starling trailed off here, the thought that she had led her team to their deaths almost too much to bear

Just as she felt as if the days stress would finally break her, she felt a comforting hand on her shoulder; she turned to see Piper standing behind her, a small, comforting smile on her face. Starling smiled back, then turned back to the radio and continued, "We'll assume you made it out but are unable to make it to the rendezvous, in which case," Starling took a breath, "I'll get Lark back to base and put together a recovery team to find you, I'm _not_ going to abandon you, so please, don't lose hope, and don't give up... Starling out."

As she finished, Starling sat down on one of the chairs surrounding an oval table in the middle of the bridge, just behind where the controls for the ship were located, and put her head in her hands. No one spoke for several moments, and then Starling's voice broke the silence, "Nine years," she said, to no one in particular, simply stating the number, "Nine years of planning and preparation, nine years of my _life_ , of my _team's_ lives."

No one spoke, no one could really imagine being in Starling's position right now, so Starling continued, "I thought I planned everything out, thought of _every_ possible eventuality... thought I was ready," Starling gave a dry chuckle, "Shows what I know, my very first mission, and I _botch_ it up in the _worst_ way, my whole team _gone_ , and _I'm_ the one to blame."

Junko and Stork both shifted uncomfortably by the controls, Piper, Aerrow and Dove simply stared at Starling in silence. Across from where Starling sat, stood Lark, leaning against one of the walls, also staring at Starling, who now looked up into her sister's dark, violet eyes, Lark stared right back into Starling's emerald eyes

"All for _you_ , all to get _you_ out, and when we succeed, you don't even _remember_ anything, about _who_ you are, to our people, to grandmother, to me" Starling finished

The silence stretched out as the two of them stared one another down, finally, Lark broke it, "It's not my fault I don't remember you, I don't remember anything _beyond_ nine years ago, that's the way it's always been for me, no matter how hard I try I can never recall anything from before I first woke up in my cell in that place."

Now everyone was looking at Lark aghast, "Nothing, you do not remember _anything_?" Dove asked

Lark nodded before looking back to Starling, "The first thing I remember is waking up in my cell, and even that's fragmented, along with the past nine years," she explained

Piper frowned here, "But why though? How could simple torture do that to someone?"

Lark shrugged, "Don't know, I was too busy _screaming in agony_ , to ask Long Feng about the _intricacies_ of his methods," she replied coldly

Piper flinched at her cold response, "Sorry, that was thoughtless of me."

Lark blinked, surprised, once again, Piper was nothing but kind with her. After a moment of thought, Lark realised that Piper's question had simply been one of curiosity, nothing more, "No it's okay, I didn't mean to imply," but Piper cut her off before she could continue

"And _I_ should remember exactly what it is you've been through these past nine years," Piper said, a kind smile on her face, "So how about we call it even okay."

Lark smiled and nodded at that

"It's a valid question though," Aerrow stated, "I mean come on, you _must_ remember something?" he asked

Lark studied Aerrow for a moment, before turning to look at the floor, thinking hard. Then the images and sounds that had come to her shortly before Piper had found her came back. "Well, there is _one_ thing, but I have no idea what it was, it may not have even been a memory, just a hallucination," she replied

"Well let's hear it anyway," Junko suggested, getting a murmur of agreement from all

Lark sighed, "Alright fine, it was, white, there was this white stuff everywhere, and it was cold, there were these wooden structures around me, some of them were burning... and there were bodies... blood... screams... the wind howling... then I passed out, the next thing I remember is waking up to see Piper rummaging through a first aid kit."

Throughout Lark's description of what she had seen, Piper had noticed Starling's face go from interested, to unreadable, she then bowed her head slightly, and her features were hidden from view. Then she spoke, "What triggered these images, what happened to you right before you began to see them?" Starling asked, her voice distant an emotionless

Lark glanced back at her, before looking away, as if embarrassed, "I took a graze from one of the soldier's shots at me, when I lifted my hand from the wound I saw my fingers slick with blood... _my_ blood."

"I was going to ask about your clothes," Dove remarked, nodding to Lark's still bloodstained prison uniform

Piper's gaze had never left Starling, even during Lark's tale, because she could now see that the young Cyclonian Heiress was shaking, badly. "Starling, are you alright?" Piper finally asked

Everyone's eyes were now on Starling, who finally looked up, Piper felt her stomach lurch, and heard a hitched breath come from where Dove and Aerrow were sitting, but as she was not facing them, she couldn't tell _who_ it had come from. The cause however, that was obvious, Starling had tears running down her cheeks, forming twin tracks down her face

"That was no hallucination, that was the day you were taken from us, along with mum and dad," Starling replied, looking _straight_ at Lark, whose face had just gone a lot paler than usual

"What are you talking about?" Lark demanded

Starling took a few calming breaths, before beginning, "I was only eight at the time, but I was already showing great interest and skill with many of the facets of leading the resistance. So one day, grandmother asked if I would like to come with her on an errand to one of our field bases, it wasn't anything dangerous so mum and dad were cool with it. I jumped at the offer, back then, I was still in awe of grandmother, and believed that nothing could surprise her, I took every opportunity I could to spend time with her."

Piper felt a chill go up her spine as the clues she already had started to come together, then Starling continued. " _You_ wanted to come too Lark, but mum and dad wanted you to stay with them, they weren't ready to risk you as well," Starling gave a dry chuckle, "It's so ironic, _I_ was never the one in danger, if they had only let you come with us, maybe even come along themselves... then _none_ of us would even be here right now, our paths would _never_ have crossed," Starling's voice now dropped so low, it was almost impossible to hear, _almost_ , "Mum and dad might still be with us too."

Piper felt the pieces click, "Long Feng attacked your main hideout while you and your grandmother were away, the attack nine years ago, where he was credited with finally destroying the resistance and ending the Cyclonis family line."

All eyes turned to Piper as she spoke, Starling merely nodded, her tears still running down her cheeks, "Grandmother and I returned to find the place in ruins, half our people gone, mum and dad dead, and Lark missing, when we questioned the survivors, we discovered that Long Feng had kidnapped her."

Now all eyes turned to Lark as Starling continued, "That's what those images were; you were remembering the attack, at least pieces of it."

Lark looked like she was about to collapse as she stared at Starling disbelievingly, "But that's not... that doesn't make sense... that can't be right."

Everyone stared at Lark as she went into a self debate, confused by this sudden behaviour. All but Piper, who went straight over to her, and gently took hold of her shoulders, causing Lark to look at her. Making sure she had eye contact, Piper spoke, "I promise you Lark, I'm going to help you recover what you've lost."

"But I haven't..." Lark began, but trailed off at seeing Piper's raised eyebrow

"Think about it Lark, _everyone_ here knows about Long Feng's attack nine years ago," Piper started

"Yea, it was national news," Stork commented, before catching Starling's glare and refocusing his attention on flying the ship

"We can all safely say that what you saw matches up with the events of that attack, not completely I'll admit due to the fragmented nature of the memory, _and_ the limited information from the reports, but think, if you've been in that facility for the last _nine_ years, then _when_ or _where_ would you have seen those things, images and settings which match up nearly _perfectly_ with Long Feng's attack on the Cyclonians nine years ago."

When Piper was finished, Lark couldn't help but stare into space as the wheels in her head began turning, _is it_ _ **really**_ _possible, that Long Feng stole my memories from me, that I had a life_ _ **before**_ _waking up in that cell?_

The silence dragged on for some time, the only sound being the _Condor's_ engines as they cruised through the sky. Finally Starling broke it; as she sat up, heaving a heavy sigh. "I really _should_ have seen this coming, I mean, you were his prisoner for _nine_ years, it would make sense that he would want to take your memories from you," she began, "No memories, means no life, your entire existence would be dependent on Long Feng."

"Don't forget, no name, he took that from her too," Piper added as she stepped away from Lark

Starling raised an eyebrow here, "Really, what did he replace it with?" she asked

"Subject C, that's what I was called, truthfully, that's how I still see myself, it's just been the way things are for so long now, anything else seems... strange," Lark replied despondently

Aerrow's fist clenched, Junko's brow creased, Stork gripped the wheel of the ship harder. Next to Aerrow, Dove took a breath, on the exhale a single word came out "Connard!"

Starling meanwhile looked like she was about to pop a vein, "He'll pay, by Atmos he'll pay for _everything_ he's done," she growled

Aerrow turned to Starling here, "Not that I don't believe you or anything, but considering that Long Feng is considered a war hero and national treasure, do you mind providing some context to your accusations?" he asked

Starling took a calming breath before looking up from staring at the table, "I suppose I should, you've all thrown your lot in with the resistance, you deserve to know _why_ we fight and _why_ we oppose the senate."

Before Starling continued, she turned to Stork, "How close are we to the coordinates I gave you?"

Stork glanced back towards her at this, "We're almost there actually, about thirty minutes out," he replied

Starling nodded, "Good, that will give me some time to get things ordered in my head, I suggest the rest of you do anything you need to do, you're going to want to fully concentrate on what I have to tell you."

* * *

Long Feng observed the semi-conscious Ace, he was a tough one, that was for sure, but he'd break eventually, they _all_ broke eventually. "Take him back to his cell," he ordered the guards, before turning to Ace, "We'll continue this tomorrow Ace," Long Feng said with a smile

Long Feng was about to leave the room, when a call came over the intercom, "Administrator Long Feng, the Senate wishes to see you, immediately," came the voice of the base commander

Long Feng sighed, _30 years I've put up with that collection of corrupt politicians; soon I'll be rid of them, yes, very soon_

"Tell them I'm on my way," Long Feng replied into the intercom terminal next to the door to the room

About half an hour later, Long Feng arrived at the Senate building; he was ushered in by Terra Atmosia's personal Skyknight squadron, _The Red Eagles_. Only the top members of the senate were in attendance, about half a dozen individuals at most, all representatives from the most influential Terra's in Atmos. They _liked_ to think they held the most power too, but that title went to Long Feng himself, though _none_ of them were aware of that fact.

"You summoned me," Long Feng stated as he approached the raised dais where the Senate sat

The members of the senate all glanced at one another, before turning to Long Feng, then the Chancellor – the leader of the Senate – spoke. "Long Feng, it has come to our attention that your facility was breached by members of the resistance earlier today," he began

Long Feng steeled himself, he'd known this was coming; it was unavoidable considering the escape method Starling had used. He straightened his posture as he prepared to deliver the story he had already prepared for this eventuality. "That is correct; it seems the Cyclonian students who were enrolled at Traven Academy were part of the resistance, they have been planning today's debacle for some time, nine years if I were to guess, in short a deep infiltration mission, that they managed to pull off," Long Feng explained

The senators all began muttering amongst themselves before the Chancellor spoke again, "If we are to believe this, then it seems that your facility was compromised by, _children_ , is that correct?"

"And if it isn't, then this is merely a sign of your _incompetence_!" stated one of the other senators while the others muttered in agreement

Long Feng's right eye gave an infinitesimal twitch at the words, before he composed himself and addressed the senators, "Young adults, and exceptionally skilled ones at that, their leader even managed to turn an aspiring young crystal mage to their side, though to be fair, when I read her psychological profile I became worried she might become a fringe element," Long Feng replied, "In fact I believe I mentioned her, Piper Peregrine, my report even stated that I wished to take her under my jurisdiction as soon as possible, to which you ordered that would only become possible _after_ , her graduation."

Long Feng waited impassively as the muttering began again, in his head, he was smiling, _what a bunch of incompetent fools they are, they'll believe anything I say, and even if they don't, they know that without me, ALF, the source of their authority will come crumbling down around their ears, it's pathetic_

With a wave of his hand, the Chancellor brought silence to the others, before steeple-ling his fingers, his eyes boring into Long Feng over the top of them. Long Feng met his gaze, unflinchingly, then the Chancellor spoke, "Fair enough, if they've managed to avoid detection for all these years and been preparing at the same time, then I suppose this was unavoidable," he began, and then his eyes hardened as he continued. "That being said, we cannot tolerate this direct attack on our sovereignty, from an enemy that is supposed to be defeated, by _you_ ," as the Chancellor finished, the other senators began nodding, this was a threat, and it needed to be dealt with

"I assure you Chancellors, I already have a plan in motion to punish these last dying embers of resistance, they shall trouble us no further once it is complete," Long Feng stated

The Chancellor's eyes narrowed, "No, you've done enough, we trusted you with the resistances destruction nine years ago, and though you succeeded at driving them underground, they have continued to be a persistent thorn in our side, both in their outer Terra skirmishes and in the streets of our cities with their protests," the Chancellor stated, to more nods and agreement from the other senators, " _We_ will take things from here, we've already placed a bounty on the ones that escaped the facility using the ship your engineering team were developing, and we have patrols out searching for them as we speak."

Long Feng felt his stomach lurch, _they'd dare to interrupt my plans, they'll ruin everything_

"Once the culprits have been captured they shall be publicly tried and executed as traitors to the Republic, and this matter will be settled, as for what remains of the resistance," the Chancellor paused here as a smile began to slowly creep across his face, "Anarchis cannot live forever, when she dies, the resistance will start fighting each other in the resulting power vacuum, what's left will barely be called a resistance at all and will be easily mopped up by ALF, which – once the threat has been completely eliminated – we can begin dialing back, and re-purposing it's maintenance funds for _other_ areas of the Republic."

The Chancellor's words were met with smiles and agreement from each of the senators, before the Chancellor dealt his final card, "And then my friend, you will finally be able to retire to a life of luxury as the decorated war hero you are," a pause, "So long as you _behave_ , you've played with the resistance for far too long, had you finished them off nine years ago, you'd be living like a _king_ right now."

 _And leave Atmos in_ _ **your**_ _hands, I don't think so_ , Long Feng thought sourly, _you'd bleed it dry to attempt to satisfy your own greed. I would see a great empire, that will forever eclipse Cyclonia, rise, with_ _ **me**_ _as it's Emperor_

Outwardly, Long Feng merely smiled and bowed low to the Chancellor, "Of course, I've been looking forward to my retirement for some time now, if it wasn't for these blasted Cyclonians, I'd already be sitting on a beach on Terra Tropica, enjoying the spoils of war."

"Then let _us_ handle this, and you may still get that chance, Long Feng," the Chancellor replied

Long Feng continued to smile, keeping it easy and natural, so as to avoid suspicion, "Oh don't worry Chancellor, _I_ shan't interfere," he replied

The Chancellor nodded at this, before waving towards the door, "Your dismissed, Administrator Long Feng."

Long Feng bowed again, before straightening up, turning on his heel, and marching towards the door, which two Red Eagles opened for him. Only when the doors had closed behind him, did Long Feng allow a scowl to cross his features, _Oh_ _ **I**_ _won't interfere, but I have plenty of Cat's Paws to derail your plans, and ensure the **success** of my own_

* * *

The Terra was small and unnamed, detailed maps might have the Terra's position marked, but it was just one of _dozens_ of similar small Terras that were scattered throughout the Terra Atmosia area and its neighboring Terra's. As such, it had been considered the perfect rendezvous for the resistance infiltration team and their extraction team; it was a safe distance from Atmosia, in case they were detected, had plenty of cover to hide them in case a patrol did happen to swing by, and even a source of fresh water. This was the Terra where the _Condor_ landed at around 10:00pm that evening, after the most chaotic day that the ship's occupants had experienced, it was finally over, and they could catch their breath

As promised, after Starling had sent out her coded transmission to the extraction team, who she said would arrive some time tomorrow morning, she gathered everyone onto the bridge, it was time to reveal to everyone the foul truth behind the Republic's, _peace_

Once everyone was seated, all eyes turned to Starling, who had recovered from the stress she'd been suffering under earlier. After taking a breath, Starling looked up at everyone, "Okay, first I think it's only fair that I know how much _you_ guys know about the Republic's private dealings," Starling said simply

"Well we know the Senators aren't exactly 'Boy Scouts'," Aerrow commented

Dove nodded, "Oui, but what politicians are?"

That got a chuckle from everyone, then Piper spoke, "I know Long Feng has been credited with a lot of things over the years, various inventions and patents, he pretty much created ALF, and now supplies its weapons, other than that," Piper glanced at Lark, who was sat beside her, but she showed no sign that she was uncomfortable with the subject they were discussing, so Piper continued. "He also _personally_ led the Attack on the Cyclonian main resistance base nine years ago, but the media portrayed it as a great victory, they even announced that Corvin, the son of Anarchis Cyclonis, and his wife, were both executed by ALF forces," Piper noticed Starling twitch at the mention of her parents execution so she decided that was enough

Stork had not noticed however, "Yea, they gave him a medal and everything-oof!" Stork's spiel was cut off mid sentence by a timely elbow from Junko, who simply nodded to Starling at Stork's indignant look, "Oh, sorry," he finished, apologetically

Starling took a deep breath, "No it's fine, that's what comes from being born on the wrong side of an old conflict," Starling now made sure to look each of them in the eye as she prepared to continue, "Do you know anything about what happens in the Cyclonian segregation camps?" Starling asked

Silence met her question; it was the dead kind of silence, the kind when every individual is too afraid to answer. "I didn't think so, even the _good ones_ – and those are incredibly generous words to give these establishments – don't let the public know what goes on inside," Starling stated

"Let me guess," Lark said, "You do."

Starling nodded, "During the infiltration period, there was one year where we received an emergency mission from home, to get an operative out of a camp, located on a Terra close to Atmosia," she explained, "It was too risky to bring in another squad for the extraction, and luckily, we were on summer holiday, it was a practice run really, security was lousy that far in, thought that a team of Cyclonians would _never_ be that close to Atmosia."

Starling's face gained a haunted look, as everyone else felt the temperature in the room begin to drop. "What we found there, was unthinkable, the Terra in question _hated_ Cyclonians, they'd abused their power over their captives, broken them down, stripped away all hope and feeling from them," Starling said

"Sounds familiar," Piper muttered, glancing at Lark out the corner of her eye

"The people kept there, lived in squalor, the buildings where they slept were falling apart and were disease ridden death traps," Starling continued, "Their food was moldy and foul, the water they were given to drink was filthy, and the medical care consisted of first quarantine, followed by dumping into a mass grave, the only reason the camp still has a population is because they keep bringing in new arrivals from other camps, whose populations have grown too large for the camps to handle."

Junko looked like he was going to be sick, and Dove and Aerrow weren't far behind him, as for Stork, if he wasn't so morbidly wrapped up in all this, Piper had a feeling he would have fainted by now. "But the worst was yet to come, we discovered from the people who were trapped there, that they were being forced to work, they were routinely sent to the smelting plants and other factories as cheap labour, of course, the camps captives would never see a penny of their earnings, the smelters and factories hired them directly from their warden."

"Then there were the medical experiments, the captives were used as lab rats to test out different medicines, chemicals and drugs, without any regard for their safety, health or well being." Starling paused here as she examined her companion's faces

Aerrow's face had take on a dark expression, Dove and Piper were both starring in open mouthed horror, Junko looked ill and Stork did not look much better beside him. Only Lark seemed unfazed by all this, for the simple reason that she had been through an equally horrible experience

Finally Piper found her voice, "That's... I don't even... I had no idea it was that bad."

Starling nodded, "There are exceptions, not every camp is as bad as the one we went too, but most of the camps are simply variations of the one we infiltrated to get our operative out of," she said

Silence filled the room for several minutes, before Aerrow spoke, "Do you have any evidence, because I know for a fact that very _few_ people would stand for this, Cyclonian or not, _no one_ deserves to be treated in such a way."

Starling smiled here, "I wish most people in Atmos shared your viewpoint Aerrow, this all would have been over _long_ ago if that were the case," she began, "Unfortunately, not only do most people simply _not_ care, but they trust their Senate, over us."

Lark raised an eyebrow here, before understanding dawned, "You've already tried to show people the real conditions of the camps, haven't you?"

Starling nodded, "It was following the success of getting better educational prospects, just a few years after father's raid to free our people, we decided to try and close down all of the camps simultaneously by showing people what it was truly like inside," Starling then sighed, "But the Senate was ready for us the second time, they were able to bring out their own propaganda that convinced people we were lying, we've tried several times after that to get the story picked up again by the broadcast stations, without success, they simply refuse."

Aerrow swore, while everyone else just looked disheartened, "That's why we fight, the Senate won't ever allow us to gain the power we need to _convince_ the people of Atmos to set us free, so we are forced to _fight_ for our freedom," Starling explained, her voice hard, determined, but also unwavering in terms of loyalty and dedication

"I think I understand now why you asked Piper to help you," Dove stated, all eyes turned to her, "But what I do not understand, is why you did not ask myself or Aerrow, neither of us would have stood by while such atrocities were being committed."

All eyes turned back to Starling, who studied Dove for several moments, before sitting back in her chair and looking up at the ceiling, "In hindsight yes, I can see how that was short-sighted of me, just as Atmosians have a poor opinion of Cyclonian, so have _I_ and many Cyclonians, developed a poor opinion of Atmosians," Starling began as she brought her gaze back to those around her, "I asked Piper because she opened my eyes to the fact that not _all_ Atmosians are the same, but that was not the only reason."

Piper frowned here, "What do you mean?"

Starling's gaze now focused entirely on Piper, "Quite simply, I wanted to steal you away from Long Feng, before he got his claws in you, as he's done with _every_ Crystal Mage born in the Republic since the end of the war," Starling stated

Piper's eyes widened as her meeting with Long Feng came back to her, that feeling she'd gotten from him, that he viewed her as nothing more than a piece of property. "You met him didn't you?" Starling asked

Piper simply nodded, "I thought so," Starling continued, "You should know Piper, that _no_ Crystal Mage has _ever_ avoided his grasp, and he gives each a choice, either willing cooperation, or servitude."

"Servitude?" Junko asked, his voice wavering with concern

"If Piper had refused, she would have been kidnapped and dragged to some secret location, where no doubt she would have shared in Lark's torment," Starling explained. Piper's face had gone white, while Lark was looking at her out the corner of her eye, Dove and Aerrow were both horror struck by the revelation, but it was Stork who spoke next

"Wait, Piper's not the only Crystal Mage that's been born in the Republic since the war ended," he stated

"No she isn't," Starling replied, nodding, "There have been many others, most accepted Long Feng's offer willingly, and now live comfortable lives, seemingly separate from Long Feng's dealings, but at a snap of his fingers, they'll come running," she explained, "Those that don't accept, are either conditioned slaves... or dead."

Aerrow's fist clenched in anger, "And he wanted to do that to Piper!" he exclaimed

Starling simply nodded in reply, "That bastard," Aerrow growled

Dove reached out and placed a comforting hand on Piper's, who finally responded to her surroundings, seeing Dove's hand on hers, she looked up at her friend and gave her a small smile, before turning to Starling. "Looks like I made the right choice then," she said, a wry smile on her still pasty white face

Starling gave a small smile back, "I knew if you stayed you'd end up my enemy, or worse, after the help you gave us, and knowing what a nice person you were, I didn't want that to become your fate," she replied

"You know, you could have told me this when we had our chat, before you launched your attack on Long Feng's base," Piper stated

Starling chuckled, "Two problems, one there wasn't time to explain all this then, and two, would you have believed me if I did, considering you still thought Long Feng was a great guy and all at the time?"

Piper thought about it, then gave a dry chuckle, "Okay, fair point," she replied

Starling nodded, "What matters is you _did_ side with us, and for that, and everything else you've done today, I'm extremely grateful," Starling said, smiling

Piper smiled back, "Your welcome," she replied

After a few moments silence, Lark spoke, "So what now?" she asked

Starling took a breath, "We wait for the extraction team, then head back to the resistance main base with them," she said, and before anyone could speak, Starling continued, "Grandmother will want to thank all of you personally for your help with getting Lark out," she continued, gesturing around at everyone, then she turned to Lark, "And whether you remember anything or not about your family Lark, grandmother is probably one of the few people who might be able to help you recover those memories."

Lark opened her mouth to say something, then closed it as a thought came to her, then she sighed, her eyes closing for several moments. When they opened, Piper had to do a double take, _are they lighter, like a couple shades maybe?_

Then Lark responded, "Ok, but I'll only go with you if Piper does," she stated firmly

Starling looked to Piper, "Well Piper, are you coming with us?"

Piper started as attention came back to her, "Well it's not like I have anywhere else to go, they probably got all our faces on camera, so we're likely considered enemies of the state at the moment," Piper replied, only slightly on the despondent side

Starling chuckled, "Well what if grandmother gave you some Crystal Mage training to make up for it?" she asked

Piper's eyes went as wide as dinner plates, "What... _seriously_!?" she exclaimed, to which Starling just nodded. Piper had already learned a lot from her self-studies, but to train under a master, and not just any master, but _Master Cyclonis_ _herself_ , the _greatest_ , most _skilled_ , and _powerful_ Crystal Mage of the last century. Piper's face took on an expression of giddy joy

"You take that as a 'yes'," Aerrow said to Starling, who just chuckled, while Piper's cheeks went red with embarrassment

"What about you two?" Starling asked Dove and Aerrow, the two of them looked at one another, before turning back to answer her

"We'll, even though I'm still aiming to become a Skyknight, like my father, a Skyknight - a _true_ Skyknight - would _never_ allow the things the Republic have done to go unpunished. Even if it means I'll never get to wear the 'Wings of Freedom', I feel that this is the _right_ thing to do, so count me in," Aerrow replied

"And you're going to need someone to patch up this idiot temeraire," while gesturing to Aerrow, "As well as others I'm sure, so I guess I'm in as well Capitaine," Dove added, while receiving an indignant look from Aerrow

Starling chuckled at that, before turning to the final two people in the room, "And what about you two, I'd understand if you want to part ways after the extraction team shows up."

Junko and Stork both looked at one another, before nodding to each other and turning back to Starling. "We've worked for the military and Long Feng for three years now, the idea that we may have helped – even in some small, obscure way – with what they've done, makes us sick, and just like Piper, where would we go, now that we're most likely enemies of the state," Junko answered

"Besides, Long Feng never respected my genius anyway, guy was a bastard through and through, so yea, he can go jump into the wastelands for all I care," Stork added

Starling smiled at that, "Ok, it's settled then, tomorrow, after we've determined whether or not the rest of my team made it out of the base, we'll join the extraction team, and head back to the main Cyclonian resistance base."

"Sounds like a plan," Lark agreed, smiling, something Piper was very happy to see

Starling nodded, then gave an almighty yawn, after recovering she continued, "For now though, I suggest we all get some sleep, though I would like to leave someone on watch."

Stork waved his hand, "The ship can do that for us, there's a proximity alarm system, I can set it, and if anyone gets too close during the night, it'll go off."

Starling smiled at that, "Can it detect ships or skimmers?"

Stork gave a devious smile, "Oh it could pick up a fly from a hundred paces if I told it too."

"Good," Starling replied, "Then set it to warn us if anyone approaches the Terra, we should be awake by the time the extraction team arrives, so we just need it for the night, when we're more _likely_ to get enemies approaching the Terra."

Stork nodded, and went to the ship controls to begin setting things up, Starling meanwhile turned to everyone else, "As for the rest of us, let's find a bunk and get some rest, we've got a _long_ journey ahead of us."

No one argued that point, and soon, everyone was tucked into a bed, Starling had taken the Captains room, she had tried to convince Lark to stay with her, but Lark had insisted on sharing with Piper, Dove and Aerrow both took a room together as well, and that left Stork and Junko in the only other finished bedroom. In just ten minutes, everyone was sound asleep, unaware, of the danger, that was soon to begin closing in around them

* * *

 **And that closes out Chapter 5, hope you all liked it, please leave a review if you did, as always constructive criticism is welcome, and I'll see you all next time**

 **; )  
**

 **French Translations**

 **Connard = Bastard  
**

 **Oui = Yes (Obvious one is obvious)  
**

 **idiot temeraire = Reckless fool  
**

 **Capitaine = Captain**

* * *

 **Drat I missed 7 days between updates by a few minutes (fumes silently)**


	7. Chp6: Ghosts and Raiders Part 1

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters, locations, equipment etc used in this story, it exists purely because I want it to**

 **WARNING: This Story contain themes of violence, torture, segregation, slavery and death (not necessarily in that order). Graphic content has been kept to a minimum to avoid M rating, even so, viewer discretion is advised (Seriously advised for this one)  
**

 **I'm getting into a bad habit aren't I, well I at least have a reason for this one taking just over two months, I've been trying to improve my writing on the advice of a recent review by Paveninteeno 7. Hopefully I've managed to make some small improvement to my writing, but that's what reviews are for, please let me know what you guys think, it really helps me to get better  
**

 **As for this chapter, I had originally planned for it to be just a single chapter, but between Paveninteeno's review and how it all came together, it ended up a lot longer than I initially planned, so I've split it into two parts, it will be the first two part chapter of the story, but most certainly not the last**

 **Also I would advise getting the hankies ready for this one, I'm not joking about that little addition I made to the warning up there, I'm actually considering changing this one to an M rating, again, please tell me what you guys think after reading this, should I change it to an M or keep it as is. Now on with the show**

 **Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, Dear Readers ( _and Mortals_ ) all, welcome back to... The Storm and the Hawk**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 6: Ghosts and Raiders Part 1**_

 **Following morning**

Images flashed across Lark's vision, falling white flakes, burning wooden buildings, broken and bloody bodies, a flash of emerald orbs and dark hair, the sound of a gun being fired, followed by a scream

Lark woke with a start, it took her a few seconds to register her new surroundings, _that's right, I'm no longer in my cell, I got out_ , she glanced over to the other bed in the room, where Piper lay. _**She**_ _got me out, she helped me escape, and now I_ _ **apparently**_ _have a sister, a family that I've somehow forgotten_

The thoughts swirled round and round in Lark's head, she clutched her head as it began to throb. Shaking her head to try and dislodge the thoughts, Lark got out of bed, and began making her way to the bridge. Back in the room, Piper was woken by the sound of the door opening; she blinked bleary eyed as Lark left

The sky was still dark, but had turned to grey, rather than black, on the eastern horizon. Lark walked to the very front of the bridge next to the ship controls. None of this seemed real, at any moment she expected to wake up back in her cell, _just Subject C again, the personal plaything of Administrator Long Feng_

Anger _flared_ in her chest, but it was short lived, replaced instead with Lark's current confused state. Here she was, aboard a highly advanced ship, with people she didn't know, and memories she didn't know she'd had, trying to force their way out of her head, and as the cherry on top, she had _no_ idea what to do next, she was completely lost. Inside the base, things had been simple, wake up, run through some tests or combat coordination, go to bed, rinse and repeat the next day. Now, she wasn't sure what to do, no one was ordering her to do anything, and she didn't know how to process that

Suddenly the grey skies in the east changed, and now the skies were flooded with a bright light, Lark's eyes squeezed shut in pain, her hand flying up to shield them. After a moment, her eyes adjusted, and Lark was able to gaze at the Terra, now slowly waking up around the ship. The sight was breathtaking, water droplets sparkled on the ground, and in the tall spindly things, which Piper had said were trees yesterday evening

A thin layer of fog covered everything, causing the sudden light to be softened, and creating striking shadows as the light was broken by the trees and rocks that adorned the Terra. Lark gazed in wonder at the sight, completely entranced

"Beautiful, isn't it," came a voice from behind her, Lark spun around to see Piper standing there, smiling

"Yea it is," she replied, smiling as she turned back to observe the scene before her

"It's called sunrise, everyday, the sun rises in the east, and sets in the west, marking the beginning and end of every day," Piper said

"I could watch it every day," Lark sighed, a happy smile on her face

Piper glanced at Lark, paying close attention to her eyes, _it could just be the lighting, but they definitely look lighter_

Then she looked forward again, "You know, most people take the dawn for granted," she said

Lark looked at her aghast, "How could they, it's such a beautiful sight, how can they just discard it?" she exclaimed

Piper gave her a smile, "Because for most people, this is an everyday occurrence, it's just the norm," here Piper paused, choosing her words carefully, "But for you its different, I imagine this is the first sunrise you've seen in nine years."

Lark turned back to the sunrise as well, tears brimming at the edge of her eyes, "To think, I've been missing this, that a sight like this has been denied me all this time," Lark now brought her hand to her chest, as a hurt expression crossed her face, "What else have I been denied, what experiences and things have been taken from me?"

Piper turned back to Lark, "Too much, but I promise Lark, nothing else, your free now, that means you get to go where you want to, do what you want to, and if you like, I'll watch the sunrise with you, every morning," she said, with a smile

Lark smiled back, then suddenly, her stomach growled rather loudly. Lark's cheeks flushed red, while Piper just chuckled, "Come on, let's find the kitchen and see if this crate has some food." Lark nodded, smiling as they left the bridge in search of some breakfast, as they reached the door, Lark looked back at the dawn one last time, before following Piper

* * *

The ship's kitchen didn't have much, thankfully though it had been acting as Stork and Junko's home, during off work hours. So on top of everything being fully functional in the kitchen, there was also what looked like the last of last week's groceries. Not much, but enough to make a big pot of scrambled eggs for everyone, something which Piper got right to work on, while she had Lark clean and slice the last of the apples

Piper observed Lark while they worked, at first she hadn't known what to do, but some gentle direction and encouragement from Piper, and Lark was working away, a happy smile gracing her pale features. Not for the first time, Piper wondered if Lark's pasty complexion was a result of her nine year imprisonment, and being shut away from the sun

She was broken from her personal thoughts, by Starling's arrival; the older girl had clearly just woken up, and had been attracted by the sounds and smells of breakfast

"Heh, how long you two been up?" she asked curiously, rubbing her eyes tiredly

"Just before sunrise, so only about ten minutes," Piper replied, "We were just getting some breakfast started," she continued, gesturing at her pot, "It's not much, I hope your extraction team is stocked on supplies, because what we have won't last us two days with seven people, what you see here is most of what's left..." Piper then trailed off as she looked to a box, where she'd placed the more, _questionable_ , food items. "Well, most of what's edible anyway," she finished

Starling grabbed herself a plate, as she made her way to Piper, "Don't worry, their professionals, and they'll have prepared for the eventuality that we might be unable to get supplies," she said confidently. "Mmh, smells good, is there any bread?" Starling asked, as she breathed in

Piper pointed her wooden spoon over to a metal cabinet with a sliding door, "It's not fresh, but it's not quite stale either, and perfectly edible," she answered

"Thanks," Starling replied, after Piper loaded her plate with eggs. On her way to the bread bin, she passed Lark, who shied away from Starling, trying to put as much distance between them as possible. Starling, looked about to say something, then thought better of it, and continued to the bread bin

Behind Starling came the others, first Dove, then a very tired looking Aerrow, and finally Stork and Junko. Upon Junko's arrival, the whole group got a shock, Junko made his way over to the box Piper had set to one side, "Heh thanks Piper, I was meaning to get these all in one place, makes it easy to find them," he said, before grabbing, what looked like two week old bacon, ripping open the packet and downing the whole lot raw in one gulp

Starling, Piper, Lark, Aerrow and Dove stared at Junko, mouths open, and the colour slightly drained from their faces. "Erm Junko... that can't have been edible?" Aerrow said, voice wavering with amazement, shock, and a little bit of horror

Then Stork leaned across to them, his voice deadpan, "Wallop, remember, stomach's of iron."

Realization swept across the group, though it did nothing to counter the still horrified looks on their faces, as Junko continued to dig into the items in the box. "Well, at least we will not have to worry about throwing anything out," Dove stated, as she quickly tucked back into her food before she lost her appetite, the others following suit

As everyone ate, Starling decided to put into motion something she had neglected to do last night, "So," she began, grabbing everyone's attention, "Seeing as we'll be working together for the foreseeable future, I think it's only prudent we all get to know each other a little better."

Piper straightened up at this, "That's a good idea, though you already know a lot about me, and Lark's your sister."

"True, but I've forgotten her, _apparently_ ," Lark noted, a pointed stare levelled Starling's direction

Starling sighed, "Alright, I'll start, that seem fair?" Everyone nodded to that, "Ok, you of course all know who my parents were, you know, I've trained most of my life to fight for Cyclonia's freedom, and the freedom of its people. Grandmother practically trained me at her knee to one day lead Cyclonia... just like she did for father," Starling's voice grew distant at that, and a silent moment settled over the kitchen, before Starling shook herself out of it

"After the attack nine years ago, I kept pushing grandmother to rescue Lark, despite the fact that grandmother wanted her back as much as I did, she also knew that Long Feng would have taken her out of our reach, making any rescue a costly endeavour, both in terms of resources and manpower."

Starling paused here, taking a couple more bites of her food, while using the moment to gather her thoughts. "Eventually though, I was able to convince her to let me infiltrate Terra Atmosia with a small team, we'd use our past political victories to get ourselves in position. It took 4 years of patience and planning, but we finally succeeded."

"During that time, we met Ace, a young Atmosian who had become disillusioned with the current regime, Ace was in fact the person who helped us break into the concentration camp as he lived nearby, but had never seen inside, once he did... it was the last straw, he pledged loyalty to me and our cause, and using his birth as an Atmosian, we were able to infiltrate Traven Academy by having him fudge some records.

"After that, it was simply a matter of preparation, training and patience, waiting for the right moment to strike; we quickly learned that Long Feng attended every Skyknight exam at the Academy, so we began planning around that day. Ace managed to get into Long Feng's underground headquarters and began providing Intel for us. When another team – on a completely unrelated mission – were captured by Long Feng's forces, Ace made contact with their leader Commander Osprey."

"Osprey provided information to Ace regarding Lark and the facility, and Ace would pass it along to me, which I then used to plan our attack on the facility. Nine years it took, nine years of careful, meticulous work, all while maintaining a cover to prevent us from being discovered," Starling gave a dry chuckle, "It was exhausting at times."

"Of course, you all know how it eventually panned out, and now we're here. I know that Atmos is your home, and that there are people you care about, who probably now see you as the enemy. Well I have people I care about as well, their _my_ people, each and every Cyclonian currently living, and I will do _whatever_ it takes to free them, to give them a life _worth_ living, and not be forced into servitude... or worse."

No one spoke for several moments after Starling had finished, no one could doubt her commitment though. Before the silence got too uncomfortable, Aerrow spoke. "Wouldn't expect anything less from the Crown Princess of Cyclonia," he said respectfully

Starling nodded in thanks, before smiling, "So Aerrow, why don't you go next, after all, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious about why you'd want to become a Skyknight when I first heard."

All eyes now turned to Aerrow, who chuckled, before staring down at his plate, food now finished, his eyes, suddenly gaining an almost sad look. Beside him, Dove looked at him curiously, as did Piper; they'd never seen Aerrow like this before

"It has to do with my father." Piper felt a chill go up her spine at his words, Aerrow had often mentioned that his father was a Skyknight, heck, he'd said as much last night, but he'd never gone into detail. "For most of his career, he did everything a Skyknight was supposed to do, uphold the peace, stand for justice and the helpless. But as time passed, things began changing; dad became frustrated with some of his fellow Skyknights, and with the higher ups in ALF command. He started breaking some rules, always insisting that he was upholding the _true_ ideals of the Skyknights."

"It got him into trouble, he was suspended on multiple occasions, during one of the last ones, he got a visitor." Here Aerrow sat back, his eyes now staring at the bulkhead ceiling, "It was Traven, he'd come to discuss some things with dad... I don't think they really came to an agreement, whatever it was Traven wanted dad to do, dad would have none of it."

Aerrow then frowned, like he was putting pieces of a jigsaw together, "But I think he did get me into Traven Academy, it was the only part of their conversation I overheard, dad said _'If it comes to that, will you make sure Aerrow is safe?'_ "

Junko frowned in confusion, "Comes to what?"

Aerrow shook his head, "I don't know, I never heard that part, it must have been whatever they were arguing about, shortly after that however, dad disappeared, a lot of very important people asked me a lot of complicated questions about where he'd gone, but I didn't know anything. Dad's sister, my aunt, took me in, and I got offered a place at Traven Academy not long after that, when I met Traven again for the first time since he'd talked to my dad, he told me that dad had made a hard decision, according to what he believed, and to protect me."

Aerrow now brought his gaze back to the rest of them, "That was the day I decided I would follow in his footsteps and become a Skyknight, whatever it was that he was doing, I knew it was important, and I wanted to help him, I wanted to stand by his side and fight with him, for what _I_ believe in."

"And that would be?" Stork asked

Aerrow looked at him, then his gaze came back to Lark and Starling, "That _everyone_ deserves a chance to live their lives, the way _they_ want."

Piper's lips quirked into a small smile at that, and Aerrow gave her a wink in response, Lark noticed and gave Piper a playful nudge while grinning at her. Meanwhile Starling sighed exasperatedly, "Wish I'd asked you this sort of thing _months_ ago, Atmos what has this war done to us?"

Aerrow gave her a cheeky smile, "Well, isn't that why we're all here?"

Starling chuckled at that, "Fair point." Before standing up and taking her empty plate to the sink, "We can continue this on the bridge; I'd like to be ready for when the extraction team shows up."

* * *

Everyone was just finishing up, the dishes washed, when an alarm began blaring through the ship. Everyone ran straight for the bridge, where Stork quickly shut off the proximity alarm before it gave them away, and everyone else began searching for what had set it off

"The extraction team can't be here yet, can they!?" Lark exclaimed

"No, they're at least a couple hours away still," Starling replied, voice hard and eyes focused

"You might want to rethink that Starling," Aerrow said, pointing to a shuttle, making for the Terra, its engines smoking, and flight path dangerously steep, a shuttle with the Cyclonia emblem painted on the side

"What!?" Starling exclaimed, brow furrowed in confusion

"What's wrong Starling?" Piper asked, worry coating her words

Starling didn't reply, instead, she turned and ran from the bridge, making for the hanger ramp; the others all exchanged a look, before rushing after her, as the shuttle crashed on the other side of the Terra

Being only a small Terra, it took roughly ten minutes to get to the other side, where they found the shuttle had carved a furrow into the Terra, ripping up trees in its path, and leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. Now that they were closer they could see the beating that the shuttle had taken, black scorch marks and gouges broke up the dark Cyclonian colours, meant to camouflage the ship against dark clouds

Starling ran right up to the shuttle's side door, grabbing hold of the emergency release and heaving; the door jolted and partially opened, but refused to budge any further. From the gap came the sickening stench of death. Starling, growing frantic now, began pulling desperately at the door, trying to pry it open

"Come on, open damn it!" she snarled

Suddenly, someone tapped her on the shoulder, she looked back to see Junko standing behind her, "Allow me," he said, gently moving her to one side, before grabbing hold of both sides of the door, and pulling it straight off its housing with an almighty screech of tearing metal

Junko hadn't even had a chance to put the door down, before Starling had rushed inside, she quickly came up short as she took in the scene before her. They were now in the cargo hold of the shuttle, most of the containers were intact, but littered around them, were bodies, almost a dozen of them, and most wore Cyclonian uniforms, of the remainder, they were squat, skinny reptiles, with patchwork armour and clothes, wielding Energy Cutlasses and poor quality guns, clearly scavenged from a scrapheap

"Murk Raiders!" Starling snarled, fists clenching, eye's blazing

"Mu-Mu-ACHOO! MURK RAIDERS!" Junko's sneeze startled everyone, more than his terror filled cry that followed

Piper stared down at the corpses, before turning to Starling, "This doesn't make any sense, we're _leagues_ away from Terra Deeps, what would Murk Raiders be doing all the way out here, especially seeing as ALF would _never_ tolerate their presence?"

"I don't know, but I don't like it," Starling replied, giving the nearest Murk Raider corpse an angry kick

While carefully covering her mouth, Dove knelt next to one of the Cyclonian soldiers – she was beginning to get used to seeing dead bodies – and began examining it, "Merde, they have been dead for hours it looks like, was very messy too," she said, grimacing at the mutilated and disfigured corpse

"But if everyone back here is dead, then _how_ did the shuttle get here? Who's flying now?" Lark asked, unfazed by the bodies around her

At her words, everyone stiffened, and turned towards the door leading to the cockpit. Carefully, Starling began making her way towards the door, the others following behind her (All but Stork, who had wisely chosen to remain on the _Condor_ ). Once at the door, Starling took a breath, well aware that there could be a dozen Murk Raiders on the other side of the door, their weapons all pointed at it, ready for them, she drew and powered up her Nun-chucks just in case, while Lark's hand began crackling with energy

As Piper watched them get into position on either side of the door, she was acutely aware that the rest of them would need weapons, especially if this shuttle indicated that the extraction team would no longer be coming for them

Then Starling hit the door release, as it slid open, she dived into the room, Nun-chucks raised and ready to swing, Lark was right behind her, hand raised a lightning bolt ready to fire, until a cry ripped from Starling's throat. "Lightning!?"

The group watched as Starling dropped her Nun-chucks and raced to the pilot's chair, where a man in Cyclonian uniform sat, he was alive, but barely, his hand clutched his side, which was drenched in blood. The left side of his head was also caked in blood from a gash on the side of his head

As the group followed Starling, Piper got a good look at the man's face as Starling turned the chair around to begin inspecting his wounds. Piper was vaguely aware of Starling asking Dove to find some medical equipment in the cargo hold, but Dove was in the same boat as Piper. The man had red hair and green eyes, and his face had a familiar angular quality to it, even if it was a more mature version of the one they already knew

As one the two girls looked at each other, a lead weight dropping into their stomachs, before turning to Aerrow, who looked like someone had just walked over his grave. He walked slowly forward, as Starling – completely oblivious – continued to demand someone look for medical equipment, right up until Lark spoke, "Starling," she said, in a clear voice, her tone demanding the older girl's attention

"What!?" Starling snapped, spinning round, and seeing Aerrow for the first time since entering the cockpit. Her eyes widened in shock as she stared at the shell shocked Aerrow, and then back at the pilot, who could have passed for an older version of the young Atmosian

"Aerrow... never thought... I'd see you... here," the man spoke, his voice cracked and weak, "You've grown up... a young man... Traven kept his word then?"

Tears rolled down Aerrow's cheeks, "Yea, he did," fists clenched

"Good... that's good... I imagine... you have... questions," the man replied

"You joined Cyclonia" Aerrow stated, looking the man up and down

The man chuckled, "So have you... if you're with her," he replied, nodding to Starling, then he noticed Lark, "And you helped rescue her sister... then I really did fail."

Aerrow squinted as he stared at his father, "Fail? What are you talking about!?"

Lightning took a breath to reply, but was overtaking by a coughing fit, flecks of blood spattered his hand. Starling whirled to Dove, "For Atmos' sake Dove, go get a first aid kit quickly!" she exclaimed, Dove nodded and took off into the cargo hold, Junko following her

"I left... to try and bring an end to the fighting... I couldn't do that with the Skyknights... those who wanted to do something... were too afraid of Long Feng and the Senate... and those who could... were their loyal lapdogs," Lightning began, after recovering, "Traven tried to get me to join his group... to play ball while we waited for an opportunity... I should have taken his offer... but I didn't want you to grow up in Long Feng's world... and Traven's plan... was too slow for me... people were suffering... dying... I _needed_ to do something... I couldn't just sit and wait... so I left... I found the Cyclonians... pledged myself to them... became a pilot in their fleet... and here we are."

Another coughing fit overtook Lightning as Dove rushed back in, first aid kit in hand, she knelt beside him and began to run through her medical lessons, "Okay just stay still monsieur, we will have you patched up-"

"Don't bother... you'll just be wasting your supplies," Lightning cut her off, stopping her from continuing

"But you will die!" Dove exclaimed

Lightning chuckled, "I've been dead a long time... I only held on as long as I did, because I needed to complete my mission first," now he looked to Starling, "Princess, the extraction team isn't coming."

Starling's eyes widened, "What, why!?" she asked aghast

"Ambush," Lightning croaked, a chill settled in the room at the word, "We were responding to your transmission... we'd barely left our hidden base where we'd been waiting, when they attacked."

Lark's eyes drifted to the cargo hold, "Murk Raiders?" she asked eyebrow raised

Lightning nodded, then began coughing again, "Damn it Lightning," Starling growled, before turning to Dove, "Can't you do anything!?"

Dove looked up at her with sorrowful eyes, "He's right, he's lost too much blood, even if we had a real doctor and proper medical facilities, it would be a miracle if he survived."

"You still haven't answered me," Aerrow interrupted, his voice devoid of emotion, eyes hard, "How did you fail?"

Lightning stared at his son, then put a hand into his pocket, he drew out a small Crystal storage device, and held it out to him, "All your answers... are on this... I made it... for you... just in case... I never got the chance... to tell you myself."

Aerrow stared at the device, then at his father, anger flaring across his features, "Your here, why can't you tell me yourself!?" he snarled

Lightning's own voice now rose for the first time, "I don't have time... and I must complete my mission first... or none of you will make it!"

Aerrow flinched, as though he'd been physically struck, then his face fell, his eyes misting up, "I'm sorry, it's just... you've been gone so long... and now you're back and..." Aerrow trailed off as he fought back the tears

Lightning's face softened, "its okay... I understand... it's been hard for you... but I promise... all your answers are on here," he replied, continuing to hold out the CSD, which this time, Aerrow took. Lightning nodded as he did, before turning to Starling again, "Commander... couldn't risk... the Murk Raiders... finding the rendezvous... so he told me and my crew... to break off... and get through to you... the Raiders chased us... boarded the ship... killed my crew... only just fought them off."

Lightning was forced to pause again as he fought for air, his body clearly failing him, no one breathed a word. "Have... a map... on the ships... computer... needs decoding... but... will lead you... back home... supplies... in cargo hold... food... medicine... weapons... even some... spare skimmers... just in case."

Starling glanced towards the cargo bay, her own eyes misting, yet again, others had sacrificed, given their lives for her and Lark, "Thank you Lightning, I promise you, your efforts will not be in vain." Lightning nodded, a contented smile on his face, and then he turned to Aerrow once more

"I'm... sorry... Aerrow... so... sorry... I... wasn't... the... father... you... needed..." Lightning's eyes lost their focus as the last word past his lips, before giving a final shuddering breath, and then was still

Aerrow collapsed, his knees thudding into the deck of the shuttle, before slumping back onto his legs, unable to hold the tears back any longer, the CSD slipping from his fingers. Dove and Piper both went and sat next to their friend, putting comforting arms around his shoulders, Starling meanwhile, stood, and reverently closed Lightning's eyes, giving him and almost peaceful look, it was as if he could have been asleep

Starling then turned to Junko, "Head back to the _Condor_ and tell Stork to bring it over here, we need to off load the supplies..." Starling paused as she looked back at Lightning, "And bury the fallen." Junko said nothing, simply nodding as he left

Several hours later, the graves were dug, and the fallen Cyclonians and their Atmosian Captain were buried, the Murk Raiders had been piled up on the other side of the shuttle, once the last had been brought out, Lark used her powers to light the small pile of bodies on fire, the acrid stench of burning flesh rising into the air

Each grave was marked with an upright stick, on each was the tag of the respective fallen, Starling held the extra tags that each had worn, except for Lightning's, Cyclonian military protocol stated that the tags be passed on to next of kin, well Lightning's was right here, not that it made the situation any better for anyone

The group took a few moments silence for the fallen, then, one by one; they began getting to work off loading the shuttle's supplies, onto the _Condor_ , until Aerrow was the last left. No one disturbed him, the whole situation felt cruel, just a few hours ago, Aerrow had been telling them how he had wanted to join his dad in upholding the _true_ ideals of the Skyknights, now Lightning was gone, and Aerrow would never get that chance

Only once the supplies had been transferred did Piper dare approach Aerrow, everyone else waited aboard the _Condor_ , "Aerrow... we're all ready to leave," Piper said carefully

Aerrow, took a breath, idly turning the CSD over and over in his hand, his eyes finally left the grave, and turned to the sky, "Does the _Condor_ have somewhere I can access this?" he asked, holding up the CSD

Piper nodded "Yea, there are several Crystal Computer terminals," her voice hopeful

Aerrow nodded, and then turned to Piper, "Then I need to see what he left me."

* * *

 **To be continued**

* * *

 **As of this upload I' am currently 3/4 of the way through Part 2 so expect that up within the next few days, I won't keep you waiting too long ; P  
**

 **Now for the French Translations (really having fun with these)**

 **Merde = S (This is censored for a reason guys)**

 **Monsieur = Sir (an easy one)**

 **We'll be getting a lot more French next time, like I said, REALLY having fun with these, I'll see you all next time ; )**


	8. Chp7: Ghosts and Raiders Part 2

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters, locations, equipment etc used in this story, it exists purely because I want it to**

 **WARNING: This Story contain themes of violence, torture, segregation, slavery and death (not necessarily in that order). Graphic content has been kept to a minimum to avoid M rating, even so, viewer discretion is advised**

 **SURPRISE!**

 **I wasn't kidding when I said I was almost done with this part, still I'm gona pay for this in the morning, ah well, my shift isn't till this afternoon, _late_ afternoon, and I'd have finished this before going anyway so yea, here it is, Part 2 of Ghosts and Raiders**

 **This one picks up pretty much directly where we left off last time, as I said last chapter, this was originally going to be all one chapter, but I was pushing the 8500 word mark BEFORE splitting them, and this one still ended up almost 7000 words long even without the authors note. So yea, glad I made THAT decision**

 **Gona be a lot more action in this one, and a LOT more French (I had WAY to much fun with this, WARNING: some words WILL be censored to keep my T rating), I'm actually really happy with how this one came together, I haven't watched Storm Hawks in a while, but I still remember a lot about it, and I'm hopeful I managed to portray the action, like it is in the show. BUT OF COURSE, that's what reviews are for, so please, tell me what you think, and I promise, I will take your thoughts into consideration**

 **Now that that's out the way, ON WITH THE SHOW!**

 **Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, Dear Readers ( _and Mortals_ ) all, welcome back to... The Storm and the Hawk**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 7: Ghosts and Raiders part 2**_

As the sun rose to noon, the _Condor_ lifted from the small Terra, leaving behind its small scar of war. After leaving, everyone dispersed, Junko said something about keeping an eye on the engines, Dove wanted to inspect the med-bay and get her supplies in order. They'd found a large number of crystals aboard the shuttle, and Piper wanted to make sure they were safely stowed away, Lark went to help her. Starling stayed on the bridge to begin deciphering the map they'd found in the shuttle's computer, while Stork flew, not really having a course yet, just trying to keep them away from patrols and other dangers.

Aerrow meanwhile went to the room he shared with Dove, the room had a single Crystal Computer, an advanced model, freshly installed, and it took no time at all for Aerrow to download the CSD's data onto it. Once done, he found only a single file, entitled _"To Aerrow"_

Aerrow, hands trembling, accessed the file; it was a letter, which had never been sent

* * *

 _Dear Aerrow_

 _I'd understand if you hate me, I'd deserve it, I left you, abandoned you some might say, all because I was too proud to play things the smart way. The truth is though; I left_ _ **for**_ _you, to try and give you a better future, and to ensure you would never have to make the choice that I did_

 _I knew that if I did nothing, you'd grow up in a world that clashed with your morals, or worse, it would twist you to its way of thinking, either path was unthinkable to me, and even though I knew leaving you would have consequences, for both of us, I felt it was the only way I could really help make this world a better place_

 _How did I know this, because you are so much like me, like you, I wanted to be a Skyknight from an early age, was enamoured at the thought of joining their ranks, of upholding the ideals of peace and justice. Only once I had joined their ranks did I realize the mistake I had made, the Skyknights I idolized, are long dead, those that are left, are either willing puppets, or frightened kittens cowering before the Senate and Long Feng_

 _And I watched you start down the same path as me, idolizing the Skyknights, mistaking them for the warriors and heroes of old. Then there was the suffering I saw everyday around me, that the Skyknights refused to do anything about, even applauded, why... because it was Cyclonians who were suffering_

 _The war ended thirty years ago, and yet still we persecute them, we have let hatred consume us, fester in us, and now the children of our enemy pay the price, the innocent pay the price. I look to you, and I think about how easily we could have been on the other side, how it could be us in their place, and I feel sick_

 _Traven offered me a way out, but his plan involved letting the suffering continue, and I couldn't allow that, I had to do, something, but it was hard, the hardest thing I've ever had to do. I grappled with the decision for days; finally, I made up my mind. I sent letters to Traven and your aunt, asking them to look after you, make sure you were safe, that nothing I did would ever find its way back to you, the good or the bad, a safeguard, to keep Long Feng away from you_

 _Your mother would call me a fool for being so reckless, she'd be right, if you're reading this, that means I never got the chance to tell you any of this myself. I'll send her your love if that is the case, though considering the things I've done, I rather doubt I'm going to the same place as her. We'll see_

* * *

Aerrow was interrupted from reading as the ship gave a sudden _lurch_ ; he quickly steadied himself, before running to the door and making for the bridge. When he got there, everyone else was already gathered, "What was that!?" he exclaimed

A dark shadow answered him as a ship came into view; it had a long hull, with a raised tower bridge near the back. Sprouting from both sides, level with the bridge, were the main engines. At the front were six stabilizer fins, three on each side, the prow was decorated with a skull that, to the horror of everyone on the bridge, opened up as it approached, revealing a large quantity of Murk Raiders gathered on a platform at the back. In the centre of them, a large harpoon launcher turned towards the _Condor_

"Stork, get us out of here!" Starling yelled

The Merb didn't need telling twice, yanking on the controls while gunning the engines, Stork took the ship in a tight turn while quickly gunning away from the horrific ship. The speed at which the ship turned caused everyone _but_ Stork to go sliding across the bridge

The Murk Raider ship was quick to respond, turning after them in a heartbeat, cannons firing in an attempt to slow them down, meanwhile Stork swerved the ship from side to side to avoid the blasts. "Erm I know this isn't the best time to get into the semantics of _who's_ in charge, but would someone please... MAN THE CANNONS SO WE CAN LOSE THE BLOODTHIRSTY MURK RAIDERS!"

Starling nodded and turned to Piper and Aerrow, "How's your aim?" she asked them

"Not bad, we'll give it a shot," Piper replied as she and Aerrow headed for the cannons. Upon arriving they immediately began shooting back, the Murk Raider ship was undeterred however, the blasts from the _Condor_ barely scratching the silver skull prow of the ship, it's only reaction was to close, to prevent any blasts from hitting the inside of the ship

"This is no good!" Aerrow shouted, "That armour is too thick!"

Dove turned to Stork, "I thought you said this was the most avancee ship in the Atmos!?" she exclaimed

"She is!" Stork cried back, then gained a guilty look, "But we may have skimped on the cannons and bought standard crystal cannons from a discount dealer."

"Oh that is just genial, just splendide, how exactly are we going to lose these odeurs de grenouilles!?" Dove ranted, slipping slightly into her native tongue as she did

"I've got an idea," Piper called, "Dove take over for me, aim at any weak spot you can see, Lark come with me, we've got some crystals to cook up."

Lark didn't argue as she quickly raced after Piper, "Wait Piper come back!" Starling cried

"C'est bon, J'ai eu ca," Dove responded as she jumped into Piper's place on the cannon

Starling, having no idea what Dove just said, rolled with it as she turned to Junko, "Keep us in the air, at all costs, if they catch us we're done for." Junko nodded in response before heading back to the engine room, then Starling turned to Stork, "Answer me truthfully Stork, can we outrun them?"

"Not with them shooting at us, I can't build up enough speed if I have to keep dodging attacks and if we take a hit..." he trailed off, his face going sickly green again

Starling nodded grimly, "Then all our lives depend on Piper and Lark."

* * *

Piper rushed into the crystal lab, Lark hot on her heels as the ship took another tight swerve to avoid more cannon volley's, "Stork, I'm okay with evasive manoeuvres, but under _no_ circumstances are you to perform a loop the loop, or barrel roll!" Piper exclaimed into the radio on the wall once she'd righted herself

"What's a Barrel-" Lark began

"No promises, and its better you don't know Lark," Stork answered

With that Piper moved over to where the crystals had been stored, "Okay, let's see, we've got Firebolts, Solaris, Paralyzers, frost, a whole three crates of cooking crystals," Piper moved some boxes out the way, as she dug into the back of their collection, she pulled out two small boxes, both looked like they could hold about half a dozen crystals each. She opened them, and did a double take, "And two boxes of Strikers and Hanzos."

"What's this one?" Lark called as she pulled out a tightly sealed box, before reaching for the clasp on the lid

Piper felt her stomach flip, "Wait!" she cried

Lark flinched back from the crate as Piper rushed over examining the box, it wasn't made of the same material as the others, while the other crystals were all kept in wooden crates with metal linings, this one was _all_ metal, and as Piper got close, she picked up a faint smell of paint. She quickly backed off, the only paint used in crystal storage were lead based ones as they helped to contain crystal energies, that plus the box itself told her _exactly_ what was inside

"Leechers," she hissed, pushing the box as far into the storage area of the lab as it would go

Lark went a few shades paler than she already was, "Glad I didn't open that one," she said, her voice shaking slightly

"Yea," Piper chuckled, "Stork would never have forgiven you." Then Piper blinked, an idea sparking, "And neither would the Murk Raiders," she said, a sly grin spreading across her face

Lark raised an eyebrow at her, "I don't follow, whatever you put Leechers into explodes when you try to use it."

"Yes, but not if they were shielded..." Piper trailed off, "No, still wouldn't work, we'd need the shield to drop as they flew to their target." Piper began to pace deep in thought. The ship then gave another lurch and the two of them were forced to grab hold of the table to stay upright

As that happened a Frost crystal clattered out of its box and landed next to Piper's foot, she stared at it, then her eyes sparked with inspiration, "How long does it take for a Frost crystal's effects to wear off?"

"Erm, depends on how much power you put into it, can be anywhere from a few minutes to a whole hour, why?" Lark answered before looking at Piper curiously

Piper snatched up the Frost crystals, "Well, what if the Leechers were covered in ice when we fired them, we could even form the Ice shield into something that could punch through the armour of the Murk Raider ship."

Lark stared at Piper, then at the Frost crystal in her hand, then back to Piper, as a grin began spreading across her face, "Let's do it."

* * *

Stork pulled the _Condor_ through manoeuvres that Starling would never have thought possible with a cruiser before, but she wasn't complaining, so far, they hadn't taken a single hit, they couldn't keep this up forever though, and the Murk Raider ship was easily fast enough to keep pace with them while they were busy dodging

 _Come on Piper, Lark, what's taking so long?_

"I'm out!" Aerrow suddenly called, causing a lead ball to drop into Starling's stomach

"Moi aussi!" Dove cried, before a string of French curse words began emanating from her side of the ship

The Murk Raider's noticed that they were no longer firing back, because they began to intensify their own cannon volleys, now they were taking grazing hits. "Stork!" Starling yelled

"I'm trying, but there's too many of them!" he yelled back

"Slam on the brakes!"

Everyone looked round to see Piper and Lark, returned from the crystal lab, Junko in tow, carrying a large crate of what looked like icicles, it was what was embedded in the icicles though, that _really_ got everyone's attention

"Are those?" Aerrow asked, trailing off while pointing at the crate

"Yep, a little surprise we've whipped up for the Murk Raiders," Lark replied, a mischievous grin reaching from ear to ear

"Fantastique, Je vais prendre vingt!" Dove exclaimed

Piper nodded, and then turned to Stork, "Now slam on the brakes, get us behind them!"

"Do it!" Starling ordered

Stork nodded and yanked on his controls while also using every flap on the ship to kill their speed, the Murk Raider ship suddenly began approaching them at a horrifying speed. Before they could impact though, Stork yanked the _Condor_ into a turn causing the Murk Raider ship to fly straight past them, now they were the ones doing the chasing

They loaded the cannons with the iced Leechers, "Aim for the engines, we take those out and it should buy us enough time to escape," Starling said, Aerrow and Dove both nodded as they began firing

The Murk Raider ship gave a lurch as the first volleys landed and began disabling whatever systems were close to the impact points. Starling turned to Lark and Piper, "How?"

"we set the Frost crystals into the icicles as well, when their fired, the Frost crystals shatter, once separated from their source, the ice begins to melt, we put enough power into their formation for that to take about a minute, just enough time to hit its mark and leave the Leecher embedded in the hull," Piper explained

"Prenez que vous gemissez!" Dove yelled

"For real, what is she saying?" Starling asked exasperated

Piper's face went slightly darker than usual, "Better you not know."

Then Aerrow scored a direct hit to the port side engine, about a minute later, the Murk Raider ship began to slow by a small amount. "Not enough, you need to hit them with more," Lark said

"It's not exactly a big target," Aerrow replied, gesturing at the small engines sticking out either side of the ship

"Reste encore batard!"

The Murk Raider ship suddenly began taking evasive manoeuvres of its own, "They know what we're up to," Piper cried, "You have to hit both engines with at least three shots, before we run out!"

"Can't you just make more?" Junko asked

Piper and Lark gained a sheepish look, "We still have Leechers left, but..." Piper trailed off

"No more Frost crystals," Stork finished deadpan, to which Piper and Lark just nodded

Starling grit her teeth, "Dove, Aerrow, make every shot count."

"Now she tells us," Aerrow muttered

"Putain de genial!"

As they continued to chase the Murk Raider ship, hatches opened in the top, out of which appeared several skimmers

"That's not good!" Junko cried

"We don't have enough ammo to take care of them as well," Aerrow snarled

"Your right, but we have other weapons," Starling replied and turned towards the door, "Piper I'm leaving you in charge, Aerrow, come with me, Junko take over for him."

Aerrow and Junko looked at one another, before switching places, Aerrow then followed Starling out as Piper took command on the bridge, just as the first crystal blast from the Murk Raiders skimmers slammed into the ship

* * *

Starling took Aerrow down to the hanger where they'd stored the skimmers they'd found on the shuttle, there were three of them. One was a Heliscooter; the other two were an Air Skimmer III Ultra and a Slip-Wing Fighter Ultra. Starling headed straight for them drawing her Nun-chucks as she did

Aerrow hesitated though, Starling noticed, "Aerrow, we need to respond to the Murk Raiders, otherwise they'll use the skimmers to begin boarding us and take out the cannons, if that happens this fight is over."

"I know, I just... I've never flown a skimmer before," Aerrow admitted

Starling just smiled, "Well if you really _are_ your father's son, then you'll be a natural."

Aerrow quirked a brow here, "You knew him?"

Starling nodded, "He joined us shortly before I left with my team to go rescue Lark." Aerrow registered the faraway look in Starling's eyes as she spoke

Aerrow took a breath, then looked at the skimmer he was standing next to, the Air Skimmer III Ultra, "Okay, but I don't even have a weapon-"

Aerrow was cut off as Starling held something out to him; it was a pair of short dual blades, "Already taken care of," Starling replied smiling

Aerrow strapped the blades to his back, after fitting some armour they'd found in the supply crates, Starling had done the same. Once they were ready, she spoke into her ride's radio, "Stork we're ready, open the hanger doors." In response, the large doors at the far end of the hanger opened with a metallic groan, revealing the sky beyond, and the Murk Raiders, coming straight at them

Aerrow and Starling both nodded to one another then gunned their ride's engines. Starling shot out of the hanger first aboard the Slip-Wing, Aerrow was right behind her. Aerrow watched as Starling went straight for the end of the runway, before unfurling her wings and soaring into the air, he'd never seen a more amazing sight than that of Starling beginning to dance through the air atop her Slip-Wing

Then he saw the edge of the runway come racing towards him, on instinct he unfurled the wings, and shot into the sky himself, giving a whoop as the thrill of flight coursed through him. Then he was level with Starling, who just smiled at him

"See I told you, like father, like son," she said

Aerrow smiled back, and then focused on the Murk Raiders heading for them, at their head was a large figure riding his own custom Skimmer. He wore a leather jacket that had patches of metal armour attached, he had only one hand, the other having been replaced by a functioning metal claw hand, we was also missing an eye and had black hair hanging from either side of his head

He smiled a toothy grin as he saw Aerrow and Starling coming for them, "Well boys, looks like we're going to get some fun on this job after all!" he called to the cheers of his men

"Captain Scabulous," Starling snarled

"You know him?" Aerrow asked

Starling just nodded, "He's your typical mercenary, will work for anyone for enough gold, now I understand what they're doing all the way out here."

Aerrow looked at her confused, "They ran into the extraction team by mistake, they're here for _us_ ," Starling clarified, as a look of grim understanding washed over Aerrow's features

Then his eyes hardened, anger filling them, "So they're the reason dad is dead, they'll pay for that," he snarled, then gunned his engines. Starling was right behind him as they both drew their weapons

Despite being new to aerial combat, Aerrow still knew how to fight, the rest almost seemed to come naturally as he flashed by two Murk Raiders on Scabulous' left and sliced through their wing joints, causing their rides to begin to plummet

Scabulous snarled as his men pulled their chutes, before turning around after Aerrow, he hadn't gone far before Starling sliced across his path, only just blocking her own attack

"Aim for Scabulous, we take him out, we cut the head off the snake!" she yelled

Aerrow nodded, his jaw set as he came around for another run

Scabulous knew a novice flyer when he saw one, to him Aerrow had some natural talent, but that was about it, he smiled, "Keep her Highness busy, I'll take care of the brat!"

* * *

Aboard the _Condor_ , Piper watched as the aerial battle began, heart in her throat as Starling and Aerrow danced around the Murk Raiders, "Come on, we need to take that cruiser down quickly, so we can get out of here!"

"J'y Travaille!"

Junko gave a grunt as he fired three rounds in quick succession, two hit the main hull, but one connected with one of the engines, making two hits, one to each

"Piper, we're starting to run low here!" Lark called

Piper gritted her teeth, then turned to Stork, "Isn't there a way to improve our targeting?"

Stork thought about it while making sure it was as difficult for the Murk Raider ship to turn around and flank them as possible. "I could wire a pinpoint system through the _Condor's_ main computer, won't do much, but should increase our chances by a significant margin."

"How significant?" Piper asked

"Well... about 10-20%... but I'd need someone to mark the targets with something that the ship can lock onto," Stork replied

Piper's mind whirled, then inspiration struck, "Do we have any spare Radio transmitters?"

Stork shrugged, but Junko called from where he was manning his cannon, "Should be some down in storage, why!?"

"Because I'm going to stick them to our targets," Piper replied as she turned and made for the door, "Run Lark through what you need to do to get the system up and running, I'll get you your signal!"

She was gone before anyone had a chance to argue, once she'd left, Lark turned to Stork, "Well, what are we waiting for?"

Stork nodded, "Get onto the main computer, I'll run you through what you need to do."

* * *

Aerrow gave an angry growl as Scabulous came at him again, Aerrow was finding it difficult to get in a decent shot, and Scabulous attacks were relentless. Meanwhile, Starling was stuck fending off four opponents at once, two she could have handled easily, but as it stood, they were tag teaming her in pairs, meaning she had almost no opportunity to do anything more than defend herself while Scabulous chased Aerrow down

Scabulous dove again for Aerrow's skimmer as their aerial battle moved so that it remained perfectly centered between the _Condor_ and the Murk Raider ship. Aerrow brought his blades up this time to parry the blow, causing the two to becoming locked for a moment before Scabulous broke off

"You've got some skill, but raw talent alone, means nothing against training and a lifetime in the skies," Scabulous taunted

Aerrow scowled at that and gunned straight for the Raider, as he did, Starling gave a desperate cry, "Aerrow no, don't!"

Aerrow glanced to the side just in time to see one of Starling's opponents coming straight at him; he yanked on his handle bars to get him out of the Raiders path. This was the opening Scabulous had been waiting for

While Aerrow was focusing on avoiding one attack, Scabulous anticipated his flight path, and intercepted him. Aerrow's eyes widened as death rushed up to greet him, before they hardened once more, and Aerrow, flipped his skimmer around as Scabulous reached him, at the same time, Aerrow brought his sword around to meet Scabulous' claw hand, deflecting the blow, before gunning his engines and putting some space between himself and his attacker

Scabulous stared after Aerrow in mild surprise; _The boy is good, pity he won't be making use of those skills for much longer_

* * *

Piper rushed into the hanger, transmitters rattling in a satchel hung over her shoulder, she saw the Heliscooter and rushed over to it. On any other day she'd have gushed over the vehicle – she'd always wanted one – but today, her friends needed her, and speed was of the essence

Firing up the engines, she sped out of the hanger, the moment she was clear, she spun up the rotor blades, and took to the air, making straight for the Murk Raider ship

Lark and Stork watched Piper take off, from the cannons they heard Dove yell "Que fait-elle!?"

Lark and stork both looked at one another confused – neither of them spoke French – "She asked 'What is she doing?'" Junko translated

Lark and Stork both rolled their eyes, as if this was obvious, "She's getting you some targeting data!" Lark called, as she continued to modify the ship's computer software for when Piper succeeded

* * *

Aerrow brought his skimmer around as he completed his evasive manoeuvres, and aimed straight for Scabulous, the sword he'd used to deflect the Raider's last attack, held out and ready to strike as he gunned the engines

Before he could reach him though, the Raider who had attempted to assist Scabulous moved into Aerrow's path, Aerrow came on undeterred, diving at the last second, in order to slice one of the wings from the Raider's skimmer, sending another of Scabulous' men falling before the chute was pulled

"Not bad, but you can't hope to beat me boy, I've been going easy on you, but playtime ends now," Scabulous drawled

The two rushed each other again, and once more clashed in midair, as they broke apart, the sound of whirring reached their ears, they both turned to see Piper flying as fast as she could through the aerial battle towards the Murk Raider ship

"Oh no you don't lass!" Scabulous growled

Before he could intercept her though, Aerrow came back for him, "We're not finished here _Captain_!" Aerrow yelled, the last word oozing with scorn

Scabulous snarled as he parried Aerrow's blow and broke away again, by now, Piper was well past them. He looked to his men, "One of you, get after her, before she sabotages the ship!" he yelled, before turning to face Aerrow again

* * *

One of the Raiders fighting Starling broke away and raced after Piper, now there were only two for Starling to contend with, she gave a grim smile. "Alright boys, whose first?"

The two Murk Raiders looked at one another, before nodding and flew at her together, "Fair enough," Starling said, as she came around to meet them head on, dodging and swerving as they began shooting at her

Just before they reached one another, Starling set her handle bars and engine throttle all in one move, before jumping up to stand on her Slip-Wing and drew her Nun-chucks. Then, with only feet to spare from her opponents – who now began to pull away, not wanting to crash – she leapt, twirling through the air, Nun-chucks whipping around her as she came down on the opponent to her right, the Nun-chucks slamming into him and knocking him off the skimmer

Starling meanwhile landed neatly on the back of his skimmer, but didn't dawdle, quickly making for the back of the skimmer, she leapt off, and back onto her Slip-Wing. Once she was seated again, she pulled around to face her last remaining opponent, who was now desperately trying to get away, knowing he was no match for her

* * *

Piper's focus was entirely on the ship in front of her, so much so, she wasn't aware of her tail until he attempted to shoot her out of the sky. As the crystal shots flew past, she looked wildly over her shoulder to see the Murk Raider chasing her

"Not good!" she yelled and began using her Heliscooter's superior maneuverability to avoid his attacks, "Guys a little help!"

Aerrow grimaced, both at the sound of Piper's desperate yell, and the pain in his right shoulder where Scabulous had just grazed him. Scabulous in turn was also grimacing in pain from the shallow wound Aerrow had inflicted on his right leg

Unfortunately for both of them, neither could turn away from this fight; they had to finish it first. Knowing that, both of them gunned their engines again as they sky jousted once more

* * *

The second Raider ducked dodged and swerved away from Starling, but her Slip-Wing was not only more agile, it was also faster. Giving the engines one final burst of speed, Starling flipped herself upside down and above the Raider. Said Raider looked behind him at the noise, but not up, seeing nothing but air behind him, he looked around confused, until Starling spoke, "Look up."

The Raider did just that, as Starling's Nun-chucks came down on his head, causing him to tumble from his ride as well. _Five down, one to go_ , Starling now spun herself upright again, and spun around after the last Raider

"Crap, crap!" Piper panicked as she desperately tried to stay ahead of her pursuer

Unfortunately, while her Heliscooter was more maneuverable, the Raider's skimmer was faster. He chuckled as he caught up with her, cutlass raised to strike, "Bye bye girly."

Piper flinched in response, but just as he swung, a volley of crystal shots flashed through the air between them, forcing the Raider to swerve away. Both Piper and the Raider looked round, the latter in annoyance, the former in confusion, which was quickly replaced by relief at the sight of Starling

"Get going Piper, I got this guy!" she called

Piper nodded, and yanked her Heliscooter away, the Raider attempted to follow, but Starling stopped him with another volley of crystal shots, "Oh no you don't, your fight is with me!"

The Raider snarled, as he pulled round to face Starling. The two of them then rushed towards one another, Raider with cutlass drawn, Starling with Nun-chucks at the ready. As they neared, Starling pulled her skimmer into a barrel roll, while dipping down at the same time

Startled, the Raider was unable to respond quickly enough to Starling severing his fuel line with the energy shivs on the ends of her Nun-chucks. With the fuel line cut, his skimmer spluttered and died in a matter of moments, before plummeting from the skies

Piper watched the Raider fall, after having successfully attached the first of the transmitters to the Murk Raider ship's engines; she then quickly made her way over to the second engine and repeated the process before speaking into her radio, "All set!"

* * *

As Piper's voice announced her success, Lark finished with the software rewrites, targeting data began pouring across the computer screen, she quickly refined it and made adjustments for the cannons. Once made, she gave a thumbs up to Stork

"Fire!" he shouted

Dove and Junko both fired a round each, Dove's landed, and Junko's missed his mark by mere inches

"That's three," Stork said

"Three to go, how many more do we have?" Lark asked

"Five," Junko called

Lark grit her teeth, "Making corrections, ready next volley... corrections made... FIRE!"

Dove and Junko fired again, this time they both hit, "Yes, that's five!" Stork crowed, the Murk Raider ship was now visibly listing, as the leech crystals drained the engines

"Three shots left, three chances to land the killing blow," Lark breathed, "Ready next volley."

* * *

Scabulous noticed his ship was in trouble, about the same time that Starling and Piper joined Aerrow, bringing him to the realization that his men had all been bested. He gave an angry snarl, "You brats are starting to _really_ piss me off!"

Then he rushed them again, Piper broke off, knowing she was of little use in a combat situation. Now that she was here, Starling took the lead in the fight, letting Aerrow catch his breath while staying on the side lines

Scabulous and Starling clashed in mid air, before breaking apart, Aerrow then dove in and scored a grazing hit to Scabulous' ride, causing him to snarl in anger again, swiping at Aerrow as he passed

* * *

"Fire!" Lark yelled

Dove and Junko fired their rounds, to the despair of all four; neither shot hit the mark, as at the exact moment the cannons had fired, the Murk Raider ship pulled sharply to the right. Doves's shot still landed, but on the hull, and nowhere near the engines

"EST-CE QUE TU ME PLAISENT!" a further string of angry French began spilling from the Starboard cannon

Lark and Stork both glanced at Junko, "You don't want to know," was all he said

Stork glanced at Lark, "One shot left."

"Don't remind me," Lark replied

"Donnez-le ici, je vais obtenir ce Batard!" Dove yelled while leaning around her cannon and glaring at Lark and Stork

Stork and Lark looked at one another, "Not like Junko's aim is any better than hers," he said shrugging

"Heh!"

"QUELLE!"

Lark nodded, "Okay, Dove, you're up, but remember, this is our _last_ shot."

"J'ai seulement desoin d'un!"

As Dove loaded the last icicle, Lark began lining up the shot, "Stork, get us as close as you can, even if it means they can attempt to get behind us again on the starboard side," Lark said

Stork looked at her in shock, but quickly recovered, as he saw the determined look on the pale girl's features, he nodded, before pushing the _Condor_ as close to the Murk Raider ship as he dared

* * *

Scabulous only just managed to break away from his opponents again, when he noticed the _Condor_ coming up fast. A toothy grin spread across his face, _Fools_. "Eyeball, sharp Starboard turn, NOW!"

"Eye eye Captain," came the reply from the radio

Then the Murk Raider ship began to turn, once it completed it, the _Condor_ would be lined up perfectly with its jaws. Scabulous now looked to his prey triumphantly, "This is check and-"

"-Mate," Lark said smiling, "Fire!"

Dove fired her last round, and Scabulous could only watch as it sailed for where the engine connected to the ship, the only way for the fuel conduit to reach it. The aim was perfect, it was much easier to hit where the engines connected to the ship, it was a far _larger_ target, thanks to the turn

"ELLE TIRE, ELLE MARQUE!"

"BULLSEYE!" Junko cried

"Huh, we did it," Stork chuckled nervously

Lark meanwhile simply sat back in her chair, a breath of relief leaving her, over the radio came Piper's voice, "Sweet aiming Lark, nice job."

"Thanks Piper," Lark replied, a happy smile on her face

The Murk Raider ship shuddered as the final leech crystal went to work, the engines whining and dying as the ship began to lose altitude

Scabulous gave an angry yell at the sight, "If I were you, I'd go take care of your ship, unless you _like_ camping out in the wastelands," Aerrow called as he and Piper fist bumped as they flew with Starling back to the _Condor_ which had already begun to turn away, ready to flee

"Better luck next time Captain!" Starling called, giving a mock salute as they left

Scabulous gave another angry scream, as he turned and raced back to his ship

* * *

 **Several hours later**

After Aerrow, Piper and Starling had returned to the _Condor_ , Stork had made all haste to get away from the disabled Murk Raider ship. Having now successfully lost them, everyone was now gathered on the bridge

Dove was tending to Aerrow's injuries, though she was only half paying attention to what she was doing, like the others, they were all stunned by what Starling had just told them

"Bounty hunters?" Piper breathed, her voice shaky

Starling simply nodded, "It's not uncommon for the council to hire Murk Raiders to perform some dirty work for them, comes with the added bonus that if something goes wrong, they can throw the Raiders under the bus, and no one would bat an eye."

Aerrow's fist clenched, "And because they were out here looking for us, they ran into the extraction team, and slaughtered dad and his crew as a result." Aerrow's eyes brimmed with tears as he spoke

Silence settled over the group, and then Junko spoke, "So what now?"

Starling took a breath, "Same as before, we get back to the resistance, only now, we're on our own."

"Do we even _know_ where the resistance is?" Lark asked

Starling sighed, "No, but Lightning's shuttle had a coded map, the code is designed so that only someone in the resistance's higher ups can crack it," here she paused and looked up at the others, "Luckily, _I'm_ included in that group, grandmother, taught me everything I'd need to know before I left, it'll take me a few days, but I _will_ crack it."

"And until then?" Piper asked

"We stay safe, lay low, buy ourselves as much time as we can, and we train while we do that, like it or not, we're a crew now, that means we have to work together in order to survive," Starling smiled here as she looked at each of them, "Thankfully, we've already established our roles."

"We have?" Stork asked, eyebrow raised

Starling nodded to him, "Indeed, Cruiser Pilot," Stork smiled at this, then she turned to Junko, "We also have our engineer," next was Dove, "And our medic." Then she looked to Aerrow "We have my wingman," Aerrow chuckled at that, "And finally our Tactics specialist," she said, nodding to Piper, "And our Operations Officer," she completed as she looked to Lark, "Both of whom also double as our crystal experts."

This run through caused everyone's mood to lighten, they already had their roles in the crew, were perfect for them in fact, they could do this. Then Aerrow chuckled, "All we're missing is a dedicated Marksmen, and a co-pilot for my skimmer."

That got a laugh out of everyone, "Well, it is going to be a while yet before we get to where we are going, who knows, maybe we will find them along the way," Dove said smiling (once again calm enough to stop the constant string of French)

More laughter filled the bridge at that, once it had died down, Starling turned to Stork, "You think you can find us an out of the way Terra to spend the night?"

"I'll get right on it _Commander_ ," he replied smiling, placing emphasis on the last word

Starling blinked at his use of the Skyknight military designation for a squadron leader, strangely, she was perfectly fine with it. She then turned to the others, "As for everyone else, we should take stock, check to make sure the ship is undamaged, and what supplies we have left, dismissed."

* * *

 **That night**

Aerrow returned to his room, fully _his_ room now, as Junko had helped Dove to finish the room next to the med bay, so now she was bunking there, now that they had more space. Aerrow sat heavily on the bed, rubbing his sore neck. His injuries gave a light throb of protest from the movement, causing Aerrow to grit his teeth

Thankfully, they were only scratches, nothing serious; he should be healed within a matter of days. As he reflected on the day's events his eyes were drawn to the computer, still turned on where he'd left it, the screen still displaying his father's letter

Sighing, he got up and moved over to the computer, he sat in front of it, and stared at the letter his father had never sent. _We got them back for you dad, we taught those Raiders a lesson, we won_

For reasons Aerrow could not fathom, the thought did not give him as much joy as he thought it would. He then thought about what they were doing, the mission they were on, to reunite a family, and end a war that had gone on for far too long, the same mission his father had left on

 _Ok... I get it now... but this is the path_ _ **I**_ _chose, and I'm going to follow it... no matter where it leads... but I understand... you have nothing to apologise for... cause I'm going to finish what you started_

With that, Aerrow pulled the CSD from the drive, with a sigh, he opened a drawer in the desk, and dropped it in. "Goodbye dad, say hi to mom for me."

* * *

 **Terra Atmosia**

Long Feng stood at the large window that dominated the office of his home, just outside of the capital, the window in fact looked over the city - it's lights illuminating the sleeping Terra - giving the illusion that Long Feng was its ruler, and he was watching over it, well... he intended to be, one day soon

His thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of his butler, "Master Long Feng, your guests have arrived."

"Good, send them up," Long Feng replied, all without turning around

A few minutes later the door opened again, admitting a young dark haired woman, followed by an equally dark haired young man, who bore a vivid burn scar on the left side of his face. The girl had dark intelligent eyes, while her companion's eyes were dull and distant in comparison

They walked up to Long Feng's desk as the man in question turned to face them, they bowed once they had reached it, "Master Long Feng, you summoned us?" the young woman said while remaining bowed, her voice spoke as much as her eyes did of her great intellect, but also of a deep seated cruelty and malice. Her companion, remained silent

"Azula, good to see you, thank you for coming on such short notice, and for bringing your brother," Long Feng replied smiling

"But of course, we are your humble servants," Azula answered, as she rose from her bow, her brother mirroring her

Long Feng smiled as he sat at his desk, while indicating the seats next to them. Once they were all seated, Long Feng leaned forward, steep-ling his fingers in front of him as he spoke, "The plan is in motion, but the Senate is attempting to interfere, I need you to make sure they fail, and that the plan goes on, _unhindered_."

* * *

 _ **DUN DUN DAAAAAAAAAA! To be continued d**_ _ **ear Mortals, MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!**_ **(Told you I'd bring it back eventually) ;)**

* * *

 **So... all the shout outs in this chapter, see if you can spot them all, I await your answers in your reviews ; P**

 **Now, for the moment your ALL waiting for, what the heck was Dove saying throughout this chapter (yea I had WAY too much fun here)**

 **French translations**

 **Avancee = Advanced  
**

 **Genial = Great**

 **Splendide =Splendid**

 **Odeurs de grenouilles = Frog suckers (This is only the beginning, it gets worse, _much worse haha_ )  
**

 **C'est bon, J'ai eu ca = It's okay, I got this  
**

 **Moi aussi = Me too  
**

 **Fantastique, Je vais prendre vingt = Fantastic, I'll take twenty  
**

 **Prenez que vous gemissez = Take that you lousy F(again, this is here for a reason)  
**

 **Reste encore batard = Hold still bastard (this one isn't that bad)  
**

 **Putain de genial = F(Nope)ing great  
**

 **J'y Travaille = Working on it  
**

 **Que fait-elle = (wait what am I doing, the translation is right with it) ; P (on the plus side, looks like their getting better)  
**

 **EST-CE QUE TU ME PLAISENT = ARE YOU F(whoops spoke too soon)ING KIDDING ME (wow Dove's a foul mouth isn't she) ; P  
**

 **Donnez-le ici, je vais obtenir ce Batard = Give it here, I'll get the bastard  
**

 **QUELLE = WHAT** **(almost there)**

 **J'ai seulement desoin d'un = I only need one  
**

 **ELLE TIRE, ELLE MARQUE = SHE SHOOTS, SHE SCORES (There, finished, whew, never again I promise you)  
**

 **Thank you all for stopping by, I'll see you all next time ; )**


	9. Chp8: Nightmares and Demons

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters, locations, equipment etc used in this story, it exists purely because I want it to**

 **WARNING: This Story contain themes of violence, torture, segregation, slavery and death (not necessarily in that order). Graphic content has been kept to a minimum to avoid M rating, even so, viewer discretion is advised**

 **Greetings all, I'm back, I've noticed there seems to be a distinct lack of dark and feels in the latest chapters - barring Lightning's death of course - so it's time to dive back into the abyss a bit, nothing too heavy, but should have quite a few feels  
**

 **Also I'm aware I may have made a mistake last chapter when Eyeball acknowledged Scabulous' orders, and what he should have said was 'Aye aye' not 'Eye eye' bad Stormhawk fan, bad**

 **anyway, lets get this show back on the road**

 **Ladies and gentlemen, Boys and girls, Dear Readers ( _and Mortals_ ) all, welcome back to... The Storm and the Hawk**

 **P.s. I'm introducing something new to the show, Chapter songs, for chapters that I thought came together particularly well, this is the first that I felt like doing this on, so here goes, today's Chapter Song is... _Lullaby for a Princess_ , by PonyPhonic enjoy**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 8: Nightmares and Demons**_

 _ **An un-named Terra, two days after fighting the Murk Raiders**_

Lark's eyes blinked open, she stared at the bulkhead ceiling, wondering why was she awake, she slowly sat up in bed, as she did, she heard a noise come from further down the hall. Her head whipped to the door, her heart suddenly racing, it had to be the early hours of the morning, everyone was asleep

"Piper," she hissed, "Piper, I think someone's on-" but her words died mid sentence as her gaze traveled to Piper's bed, which lay empty

Now Lark was starting to panic, the sheets of Piper's bed were strewn about, as if she'd been dragged out of her bed, but if that was the case, why hadn't Lark been abducted. Confused and afraid, Lark carefully, and quietly, slipped out of bed and made her way to the door

She pressed her ear flat to the cold metal, trying to listen for any sound, she could just about make out an indistinct voice – no, _voices_ – she cautiously began to open the door, being careful to minimise the sound it made, then stepped out into the hallway

The voices were louder now, but she still couldn't make out what was being said, or the words they were saying. She could however tell that they were coming from the bridge, so she began to cautiously make her way there

The closer she got to the bridge, the louder the voices became, yet they remained indistinct, however, she could make out the speakers now. Starling's voice seemed dominant, but she also picked up snippets from Aerrow and Dove, as well as the occasional comment from Junko or Stork. Piper's voice was strangely absent

She was just a few steps away from the bridge when a new voice entered the conversation, a voice she recognized, and true _terror_ gripped her as the words finally resolved in her mind

"You've done well my servants; she'll make an excellent addition to my collection of Crystal Mages... what of Subject C?" Long Feng asked

"Still asleep, shall we bring her?" Starling replied

"No need, she's already here."

Suddenly, the door in front of Lark _burst_ open, and light poured in, Lark shielded her eyes from the harsh light, once she had adjusted, she stared into the bridge, and her eyes widened with _horror_. In front of her stood Long Feng, clad in his black robe, flanking him, were Starling, Aerrow, Dove, Junko and Stork, all wearing the grey featureless armour of the guards from his facility – minus the helmets – and on the floor at Long Feng's feet, was Piper, bound and gagged, eyes wide and tears streaming down her cheeks

"Subject C, so good of you to join us," Long Feng said with a sneer

Suddenly Piper got her gag loose, "Lark run!" she yelled before Aerrow gave her a vicious kick to her stomach to silence her

Lark didn't need telling twice, she turned on her heel and sprinted back the way she'd come, even as she did however, the hallway leading back to her room seemed to stretch, and her legs felt like lead

"Now now, Subject C, you know running is futile, there's nowhere for you to go where you might escape me," Long Feng called after her

As he said this Lark suddenly felt the floor disappear beneath her, and she fell, now through open sky towards a large lake. She braced for impact as the water rushed up to meet her, instead, she collapsed onto a concrete floor, with harsh, stark, white lighting overhead, and a _very_ familiar chair sitting next to her

Then, a long black robe with two black shoes poking from the hem appeared in her vision; she looked up, straight into the eyes of her tormentor. "Welcome home, Subject C."

* * *

Lark woke with a start, sitting up in bed as the memory of that man's sneer lingered in her mind's eye, she quickly realized she was covered in sweat, and breathing rapidly. She looked over to Piper's bed, relieved to see the girl still there, and fast asleep

Lark lay back, and stared at the bulkhead ceiling, as her heart rate began to calm, and she lost the Adrenalin rush, the sobs began. Turning on her side, with her back facing Piper, Lark began to cry, muffling herself as best she could

It wasn't quite good enough, Piper's eyes flickered open, awoken by the noise, she looked over to Lark, seeing her back turned to her, and her shoulders shaking with the sobs. Piper felt her heart break, _even in her sleep she can't escape what Long Feng did to her_

"Lark, you okay?" Piper asked, her voice filled with concern

Lark's sobs abruptly stopped, after a few moments, she replied, "I'm fine Piper, go back to sleep."

"You sure?" Piper pushed

Lark lifted her head so she could glance over her shoulder, but not too much, so as to keep her face hidden, "Yea," she said nodding, "It was just a nightmare, I'm fine, really."

Piper wanted to push harder, this wasn't the first night she'd had a nightmare, but this one seemed like it had been particularly bad. On the other hand, they'd been making really great progress so far with restoring what made her human, Piper didn't want to jeopardize that, and she feared that pushing too hard, would cause Lark to clam up

So, against Piper's better judgement, she let the matter drop, "Okay..." before going back to sleep though, Piper added something, "But you know... if you ever need someone to talk to..." Piper trailed off

"I know," Lark replied, still not looking at Piper, "And thank you."

Piper nodded, then sighed, and went back to sleep

Only once Piper's breathing had become regular, did Lark dare to turn around, her cheeks lined with tear tracks, and fresh ones brimming in her eyes. She tried to get back to sleep herself, but was afraid to, afraid that if she fell asleep again, she'd find herself in that chair, with Long Feng standing over her

Lark covered her face with her arm, silent tears now streaming down her cheeks

* * *

 _ **The next day**_

"Aerrow, on your left!" Starling yelled

Aerrow yanked on his handle bars as he narrowly avoided an ALF skimmer filling him full of crystal shots

Uttering an angry growl, Aerrow drew one of his blades, flipping his ride to bring him towards his new attacker, blade slashing across the shoulder of his opponent, causing him to lose control of his ride and bail from the fight

As Aerrow righted himself he looked to Starling, "Thanks Starling."

Starling nodded, then turned to assess their current situation. Currently, two ALF cruisers – no doubt following information given by Scabulous and his band of mercs – were hanging over the Terra that they had been taking shelter on, preventing them from escaping

Starling and Aerrow were currently trying to buy time for Piper to figure a way out, while Dove and Junko supported them by using the cannons to keep the enemy skimmers away from the _Condor_. The only reason Starling could imagine that the cruisers themselves had not opened fire, was that the Senate wanted them alive, most likely for a biased trial, followed quickly by an execution

"Come on Piper, we can't do this forever," Starling prayed, as she drew her Nun-chucks and prepared for the next wave

* * *

Piper was on the verge of tearing her hair out in desperation at their current situation, despite still having Leechers left; they had no way to get them to the enemy cruisers. No easy way at least, and Starling and Aerrow couldn't move from their current position, or the _Condor_ would be exposed, which meant they couldn't cover Piper if she attempted to get to the cruisers, there were too many enemy skimmers

"Come on, there HAS to be something!" she exclaimed

"We're running out of crystal charge for the cannons Piper, we need to get out of here quickly!" Stork warned

"I'm trying, but unless we disable those cruisers, we'll be blasted out of the sky the moment we try to take off," Piper replied

"Arrete de discuter et pense a une solution!" Dove yelled

Lark watched the argument go back and forth, all the while a headache formed, slowly getting worse. She hadn't been able to get back to sleep after her nightmare, which still lingered in the back of her mind

"Guys, do we have something yet, Starling and I can't keep this up forever, there are too many of them!" came Aerrow's voice over the radio

"I'm working on it Aerrow," Piper answered

"Well work faster!" Starling exclaimed

Lark gritted her teeth as their yelling made her headache worse, finally she'd had enough, and stood up, "I'm going out there."

Everyone suddenly turned to her, "What!?" Piper cried as Lark began marching out of the bridge

"Absolutely not!" Starling yelled into the radio, "I lost you once Lark, I'm not risking losing you again, you STAY on that ship!"

"You're not my mother, as much as you try to act like it, and _I_ don't believe you're my sister, which means you can't just keep me confined," Lark snapped back

A couple moments went by as Starling avoided more attacks from the enemy skimmers, before replying, "Fine... but I' am the _Commander_ of this crew, we voted on it, so I'm _ordering_ you to remain on the ship!"

"So you and Aerrow are allowed to risk your lives fighting, Piper comes up with our plans, Stork flies the ship, Junko keeps it in the air, Dove patches everyone up... and I what... help when it's convenient, or doesn't put me in danger... how is that fair!?" Lark replied angrily, sparks dancing around her now clenched fists

Piper blinked, now that she thought about it, Lark had a point, Starling wasn't having any of it though

"I don't care if _you_ believe you're my sister or not, you _are_ , and if something happens to me, _you're_ the last hope for our people!" Starling answered, "You're too important to risk losing Lark."

"If I don't help now though, we could _all_ end up dead or captured," Lark argued, "Either we take the risk, or this is where it ends!"

Silence met her words; the only sound was that of the battle outside and Aerrow and Starling's efforts. Finally Starling gave an exasperated sigh, "Lark... we'll find a way... I can't lose you-"

"She's right Starling," Piper interrupted

All eyes turned to Piper, "What!?" Starling exclaimed

"She's right, we've got no way out of this... none that I can see anyway," Piper now looked to Lark, making sure their eyes made contact, "But if Lark can clear the way for us, we might just make it... it's a long shot I know, and I'd _never_ suggest taking this risk if there was any other way... but there isn't, and we're out of time."

As Piper finished, she pointed off the Terra, the others followed her finger, and saw a third cruiser on course for their location, no doubt their assailants had called for reinforcements the moment they found them

Starling stared at the cruiser, feeling her heart sink as it grew closer, the moment it was here, more skimmers would join the battle. The _Condor's_ cannons were already low on crystal charge, the moment they depleted, Aerrow and Starling would be overrun

Starling clenched her Nun-chucks as she angrily twisted her Slip-Wing through the air and took her anger out on the closest ALF skimmer. "Alright, fine," Starling finally said, "But Piper, _you_ are to protect her at _all_ costs!"

"Understood," Piper replied before turning to Lark, "What do you need?"

"Just a power boost, as much as you can give me," Lark replied while walking past Piper towards the door

It wasn't lost on Piper that Lark's eyes had suddenly turned a shade darker, and colder, they weren't quite the emotionless orbs they had been when they first met, but they weren't far off. _I hope I don't regret this_

* * *

The Commander of the main ALF cruiser examined the course of the battle, the young rebels were putting up quite the fight, if not for the live capture orders however, this would already be over. Now that their reinforcements were here however, he doubted this would last much longer

"Get our reinforcements into the battle ASAP, remember, disable their skimmers, and prevent the ship from taking off at all costs, they _must_ be captured alive."

"Sir, we have movement on the ship's runway!" one of the crew yelled

"Show me!" the Commander ordered, a moment later, the main screen was filled with an enhanced image, showing two girls, one dark skinned, in a blue and orange jumpsuit, the other pale, in grey prison fatigues

"What are they up too?" the Commander muttered, then turned to his men, "Be careful not to hit them in the crossfire, but try to apprehend them!"

"Sir yes sir!"

* * *

Lark and Piper walked out onto the _Condor's_ runway, the battle raging above them, their appearance immediately garnered attention, as ALF skimmers attempted to reach them. Dove and Junko saw to that however, forcing the skimmers to abandon their approach

"We're _really_ low on ammo here guys, whatever you're going to do, do it fast," Junko said into the radio

"Understood Junko," Piper replied, then looked to Lark, "So... what _is_ the plan exactly?"

Lark glanced at her, then looked back to the enemy cruisers, "You can channel the energy in those yes," she said, gesturing towards the Firebolts that Piper had brought with them

Piper looked at the crystals, then to Lark, she was already having second thoughts about this plan, Lark was deliberately keeping it from her for one, meaning whatever it was, Piper was _not_ going to like it. Still they were out of options, it was either this, or be captured

"Yes," she sighed, "I can."

"Then give me everything you've got," Lark said

Taking a deep breath, Piper picked up a Firebolt, and began drawing on its energy, she had read the theory behind energy transference – also known as the Binding – a powerful Crystal Mage ability, it didn't come without a price, prolonged use was dangerous, sometimes even fatal, but for something small like this, it shouldn't cause anything beyond moderate fatigue

With severe reservations, Piper pushed the energy out, and towards Lark, who immediately began absorbing it, her body rising a few feet off the deck, radiating a pulsing red aura from the crystal's energy

"Another," Lark said, her voice slightly strained as she held the energy within her body

Reluctantly, Piper snatched another Firebolt from the small bag she'd brought, and repeated the process, causing Lark's aura to grow brighter, and pulse faster. They repeated this a further three times before Lark finally focused her attentions on the cruisers

"Tell Stork to get ready to take off," Lark said, her voice now being squeezed out through gritted teeth

* * *

The Commander watched as the two rebel skimmer pilots and gunners continued to cover the two girls on the ship's runway, then, one of them began to glow, a deep fiery red, his eyes widened in panic. "How long before those reinforcements get here!" he yelled

"Three minutes and counting," came the reply

 _That's not going to be quick enough_

"All skimmers, take out those two on the runway, hang orders, and take them out NOW!"

* * *

The _Condor_ 's engines fired as Stork prepared for takeoff, as he did, Lark drew the energy from the Firebolts into her hands, to form a ball of pulsing red fire. Before Piper could speak, Lark launched her attack, turning the ball into a focused beam of energy that _ripped_ through every skimmer in its path, before _slamming_ into the side of one of the cruisers. The beam then _punched_ through the other side, as secondary explosions began tearing through the ship as it fell from the sky

For a moment, all was still as they stared at the stricken ship, awed, and terrified by the power that had just been unleashed. Starling was the first to recover, "There's our opening, Stork now!"

After a moments fumbling, Stork got into gear, and the _Condor_ began to rise, something which did not go unnoticed by the remaining ALF forces

* * *

The Commander stared at where one of his ships had just been, then back to the rebel ship, which was using the confusion to make good on its escape

"Don't let them get away, open fire!"

* * *

The cruiser and its skimmer squadrons began firing, Stork did his best to avoid the attacks, but he couldn't dodge everything, especially while still picking up speed. Lark was not done however; she still had plenty of power left. Bracing herself on the deck of the ship, she raised her arms towards the approaching ALF skimmers, electricity sparking along them, her eyes cold and emotionless

Piper felt her stomach flip, "No Lark wait!"

She was too late, lightning erupted from Lark's fingertips, boosted by the energy of the Firebolt crystals, their range was far extended, and once they connected with the nearest enemy skimmers, they began jumping from one to the next. Unfortunately, Aerrow and Starling were still out there in the middle of it all, trying to keep the skimmers at bay

"Whoa!" Aerrow yelled as a blot came narrowly close to clipping his ride, Starling was likewise having to focus on dodging the storm of lightning

Seeing their comrades being electrocuted before their eyes, the rear most elements turned away before they could suffer the same fate. That just left the cruiser, a second ball of fiery energy formed in her hands

Piper's eyes widened as she realised what Lark planned to do, "No Lark stop!"

"It's them or us Piper," was the cold and emotionless reply

"Killing isn't the answer, aim for their engines, their weapons, anything that will _disable_ the ship, not destroy it!" Piper exclaimed

But Lark wasn't listening, " **No, I _won't_ go back, he can't _make_ me!** "

Piper was struck dumb, the voice in which Lark had just spoken was unlike anything she had heard from her before, dark, and resonant, it seemed to echo in the very air and thrum through her entire being, instilling all of her primal fears at once. It was a voice of power, and not to be trifled with

Piper watched helplessly as the ball of fire grew, knowing that at any moment, it would be released, and _dozens_ of people would lose their lives

Piper's mind _screamed_ at her to _do_ something, anything. Gritting her teeth, and knowing that this was a terrible idea, she jumped forward, just as Lark released the bolt of energy, and jolted her, throwing off her aim

The beam, flew towards the ship, but rather than hit it directly, it grazed along the side, damaging the engines in the process, forcing the ship to make an emergency landing, on the Terra they had just vacated

The third ship, wisely, did not attempt pursuit as the _Condor_ made its escape, and thankfully, Lark had used all of the energy from the Firebolts. That didn't mean she was bereft of her own however, a fact Piper was well aware of as she _rounded_ on her

" **How** _ **dare**_ **you!** " Lark snarled, her voice pulsing through the air as though it were a physical force

Piper wilted before her, holding her hands out pleadingly, "Lark, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that, but we've discussed this, killing is wrong, even in self defence you should always try to find another way."

Lark merely growled as she advanced on Piper, suddenly however, the squeal of tires interrupted her as Starling masterfully steered her landing between them

"Lark stop!" she barked, putting all her authority into her voice

Lark simply glowered at the two of them, her hands sparking with electricity

Starling held out a hand calmly, like one would to a spooked or aggressive animal, "Just calm down, we're only trying to help."

Piper knew the words wouldn't work, no matter how Starling said them, she got the idea behind Starlings actions, she was trying to use animal trainer tactics to get Lark to back down. The problem with that, was Lark was far more powerful than any of them, if the pale girl wanted to, she could kill them all with a snap of her fingers

Then Piper noticed movement behind Lark, it took everything Piper had for her to investigate it, so as to not tip Lark off

Before Lark could lunge for Starling and Piper, Aerrow had come up from behind her, pinned both her arms with one of his, before delivering a sharp blow to the back of her head, knocking her out cold, he caught her as she crumpled to the ground

Starling breathed a sigh of relief, "Get her to the med-bay and have Dove see to her," she said to Aerrow, who just nodded, before picking Lark up, and carrying her inside the ship. Starling then turned to Piper, "Now," she began, "What in the _wastelands_ was all that!?"

Piper cringed, _how did I know I'd regret this?_

* * *

Darkness, it was everywhere, surrounding her, holding her tight in its grasp, and Lark sobbed. What had she done, she'd killed before, but that was in self defence, and as much as she tried to convince herself that this was the same thing, she knew it wasn't

 _All those people... I killed them... I_ _ **murdered**_ _them_

" _Yes, you did, and it was magnificent,"_ came a cold, familiar voice from the darkness

Lark looked around wildly, searching for the source of the voice in the blackness, before shouting back, "What! It was horrible, I'm a monster, I killed those people in cold blood... why? What's happening to me!?"

A chuckle emanated from the dark, before Lark saw herself emerge from it, but different, this version had dark rings around her already dark violet eyes, making them almost appear black. She wore flowing dark purple robes, with a hood that hid most of her face, and she wielded a spiked staff, with glowing crystals at either end

" _You're fulfilling your destiny, you're becoming the force of destruction you were always meant to be... the_ _ **perfect**_ _weapon."_

As Lark's doppelganger said the last three words, a second figure emerged from the darkness, it was Long Feng, he was smiling, and had his hands on her doppelganger's shoulders

"You are mine, Subject C, you shall _always_ be mine, you shall destroy this world in my name, and then help me build it anew, as a loyal citizen, of _my_ Empire."

* * *

 _ **Condor's Med-bay**_

Lark woke with a start, moving to sit up, a dull throb at the back of her skull however caused her to cringe in pain, and force her to stop halfway. Then a gentle hand on her should slowly pushed her back down

"Non, you need to lie down and rest Lark."

Lark looked up to see Dove standing over her, a concerned look on her face. Lark groaned as her head gave an additional throb from the bright lights of the Med-bay. "What happened?"

As she spoke, the sound of Starling's voice came from the corridor outside, "Nightmares!?"

Another voice then spoke, but they couldn't make out what was being said, Lark recognized Piper's voice though, and realised she was being interrogated over what happened by Starling

"How long!?" came another loud exclamation from Starling

Piper gave another quiet reply, followed by another yell from Starling, "Two days! she's been having nightmares since we escaped and you've said _nothing_!?"

Lark winced at Starling's words, her head throbbing from the noise, then Dove spoke, in a much quieter voice so as not to agitate her patient's condition. "We are still trying to figure that out, in the meantime, rest, you have been through a lot today," the girl gave a small comforting smile as she spoke

But Lark was anything but comforted; memories of what had happened slowly began to filter back into her mind. The ALF cruiser going up in flames, ALF skimmer pilots convulsing as lightning coursed through and over their bodies, the sheer _terror_ in Piper's eyes as Lark had rounded on her after Piper had thrown off her aim

Lark let out a choked sob, _I almost killed her... I almost killed the_ _ **one**_ _person who's shown me any kindness in the world... what's happening to me?_

Finally, it seemed Piper had had enough of Starling's lecture as her own voice rose in volume, "Look I know I messed up alright, I get it, but I didn't want Lark to close down on us, not when we were making such good progress on her recovery, so I didn't push her, I thought to myself 'She'll talk when she's ready, not before'."

"It was a stupid mistake and I should have told you, but telling you wouldn't have changed anything, it might have even made it worse, so I'm not going to apologise, at the end of the day, all that matters is that we're alive and still free and can make sure something like this doesn't happen again!"

Silence followed Piper's outburst, Lark was expecting Starling to utter a retort, but then Aerrow's voice joined the conversation, "Alright that's enough, Starling I know you're the leader, but you need to let this drop. Piper's right, we got away, unharmed and unhurt, so now we have the chance to make sure this doesn't happen again. To do that, we need to start finding out _where_ we need to go to reach the resistance so we can get away from ALF forces."

A pause followed before Aerrow spoke again, "And Piper, keeping information like this from us puts the entire crew in danger, you knew what Lark was capable of when we all got on this crate, and we all just saw her power. And yes, I know she's not entirely to blame considering that level of destruction and death is _exactly_ what Long Feng was trying to use her for, but living with her is like walking around with a live grenade in our pocket. If it goes off and we're not ready for it, we could all end up seriously hurt."

Another pause, "I get that your trying to help her, but you _have_ to think about the safety of the rest of the crew as well-"

"I'm not abandoning her!" Piper suddenly shouted, interrupting Aerrow

"I'm not telling you to, just making sure you understand that we're all in this together, we have to depend on each other to survive, and if one of us – who has the power to kill us all with a click of her fingers – snaps and turns on the others, we're all dead. We _need_ to be more careful, and we need to make sure that we're safe from each other, as much as anything else that could threaten us."

More silence followed, and then Aerrow sighed, said something too quiet for Lark to hear, before a knock sound on the door. "Dove how is she?"

Dove sighed and moved to the door, opening it, Lark saw Aerrow standing in front of it, with Starling and Piper slightly behind. "Awake, but a little shell-shocked, she needs rest right now so no visitors-"

"Wait," Lark called, all eyes turned to her, "I want to talk to Piper, please."

All eyes now turned to Piper, who seemed a little surprised, Dove just sighed and nodded, "Ten minutes, then she needs to sleep," Dove replied strictly

Piper nodded and moved past her and Aerrow into the room, Dove meanwhile, stepped out, pushing Aerrow and Starling out with her, before closing the door. As it closed, Starling looked on, an expression Lark couldn't read, etched on her face

Piper came and sat on the edge of Lark's bed, her face filled with concern, "Heh, how you doing?"

Lark tried to stay strong, tried to hold back the flood gates, but now that she was alone with Piper, she simply didn't have the strength. She cried, harsh sobs racking her frame, as, heedless of her headache, she flung herself upwards and wrapped her arms around Piper, burying her head against the other girl's shoulder

"I killed them... I slaughtered them... like animals... I nearly killed you... I'm a monster..." Lark cried between sobs, tears flooding down her cheeks

Piper, after a moment's shock, wrapped her own arms around Lark's sobbing frame, placing one hand on the girl's head, and stroking her hair while making gentle soothing sounds, "Heh, it's okay, you didn't kill me, I'm still here, and I'm going to help you, you're not a monster, okay, never say that about yourself."

"But I-" Lark began, but Piper cut her off

"No," Piper said, her voice strong, but not hard, or uncaring, "You're not a monster, you're a girl just like me, who was tortured for most of her life, brainwashed into believing that you were nothing but an object rather than a person. You've been torn down and rebuilt so many times, but that _doesn't_ make you a monster... it makes you a victim, but I promise, I'm going to help you, we all are, we're going to undo what the _true_ monster, Long Feng did to you, then we're going to make him pay, he'll answer for all of his crimes, I give you my word Lark."

Lark wept, both from guilt over what had happened, and from relief at Piper's words. Despite everything, Piper wasn't abandoning her, had promised to help her, however she could. Lark cried, and kept crying, until finally, she had cried herself to sleep in Piper's arms

* * *

 _ **Later**_

Piper stood outside the door, her stomach churning as she once again debated on knocking. Lark was sound asleep in the Med-bay, Dove watching attentively over her, which left Piper with the task of finding a way to help Lark overcome her inner demons, before they got into a situation like the one they'd just escaped, again

She had puzzled with the thought for some time, both while Lark had held on to her, sobbing, and afterwards while wondering the _Condor_. Her thoughts, and her feet, had eventually lead her to Starling's cabin door, and Piper's current predicament. Starling probably knew more about Lark, than even Piper did, being her older sister and all, the problem, the argument they'd just had, currently, Starling was not happy with Piper, Lark had been suffering and Piper had neglected to share the information

Since Aerrow had defused the situation in front of the Med-bay, Starling had apparently locked herself in her cabin, and hadn't come out since. Piper could only imagine that Starling was just waiting for her to happen by and attack her

Piper shook those thoughts from her head, while they hadn't been close friends, Piper and Starling had still got along over the last three years at the Academy. One silly little argument wasn't going to change that... was it?

Piper got her answer, when the door suddenly opened before Piper could even touch it. Starling stood in front of her, the girl's face stony – no – storm like, as her emerald eyes bored into Piper's amber ones

"What is it?" she asked, her voice hard and clipped, like it had been three years ago

Piper hesitated, then, taking a deep breath, she spoke, "I'm sorry, I should have told you, I was worried about Lark and... I'm sorry," Piper's eyes fell to the floor as she finished speaking, before moving back up to stare into Starling's once more

Starling studied her a moment, staring hard at her, before her eyes closed as she gave a sigh, when they opened a moment later, they were softer, and the warmth they usually held had returned. "I'm sorry too, I shouldn't have yelled at you, not when it was _my_ sister you were trying to help."

Piper looked up hopefully at that, "Truce?" she asked

Starling nodded, "Truce," she replied

"Good, because there was something I wanted to ask you," Piper continued

Starling raised a brow here as Piper explained, "I don't know what's going on with Lark, whatever Long Feng did to her is _way_ outside my expertise..." Piper trailed off here, making sure all her thoughts were gathered before she continued. " But I do know conditioning when I see it, it's a basic science lesson, conditioned response, and this to me looks like fear conditioning," Piper said

Starling blinked, then tapped her chin in thought, "You think so?" she asked

Piper nodded, before Starling continued, "Then all we have to do is find the fear and show Lark she doesn't need to be afraid, like helping a child cope with the fear of a monster under the bed."

Piper cringed slightly, and Starling noticed, "What?"

Piper sighed, "If only it were that simply, like I said, I don't know _how_ Long Feng has done this to her, or what fear he used, all I know is the basic cause, and the effect it has on her."

Starling leaned against the door frame, brow furrowed in thought, "Okay, so what _do_ we know?"

"I was kinda hoping you'd help me with that," Piper answered, at Starling's questioning look, Piper explained, "She's _your_ sister, you know what she was afraid of, what she likes, what makes her happy, sad, everything."

Starling looked at Piper shocked for a moment, then looked away, "We were apart for nine years Piper, a lot can change in that time."

"She's still your sister though right?" Piper countered

Starling thought for a moment, thought back to before nine years ago, everything she and Lark had ever done together. One memory stuck out more than the others, like a beacon in the distance, "She always loved to draw, was good at it too, she was always looking for more paper and pencils, always drawing something, even if it was just idle doodles."

Piper blinked, a thought suddenly sparking in her mind, then a slow smile spread across her face and she turned away, "Thanks Starling, I think I got it from here."

Starling did a double take, "Wait what? Got what?" she called back

Piper just looked over her shoulder and gave Starling a reassuring smile, "Don't worry, you'll see, trust me on this one."

* * *

 _ **Un-named Terra – Crash site of the Blood Crow**_

Scabulous growled angrily as he inspected his once proud ship, "I'm going to find those brats, and I'm going to make them pay!"

The _Blood Crow_ had been forced to make an emergency landing on the very Terra that their quarry had left the same day they had encountered them. The Murk Raiders had been stuck there for the better part of two days, making repairs

"How much longer Eyeball!" Scabulous snarled

"We're going as fast as we can Captain, those Leechers really did a number on the engines, and we gotta fix the damage from the crash as well," Scabulous' first mate Eyeball replied

Scabulous marched up to him, an angry glower on his face, "I don't want excuses Eyeball, I want this ship in the air again!" he shouted

"Aye aye Captain," Eyeball answered, and quickly scuttled off to motivate the crew

Scabulous gave a frustrated sigh, and then heard the sound of Skimmer engines. He looked up to see two figures riding in towards him, a young man, and a young woman, both with dark hair and eyes, the young man had a burn scar on the left side of his face and a dull, almost dead look. The woman, by contrast looked sharp, intelligent, and dangerous, three things he disliked about women, as it usually ended up with him hurt

He turned towards them as they approached; they were dressed in black combat armour, and their rides were top of the line, whoever they were, they were important, and seeing as he and his crew were in Atmosian territory, he knew he had to play the civil card, unless he wanted to be arrested

He straightened himself up, and took a few steps towards his guests as they landed, all smiles, "Well good morning, and what might I do for you?" he asked politely

Both the woman and her companion dismounted, the woman then turned to Scabulous, and the pirate got a good look at her. She was incredibly beautiful, in the way a Black Widow was beautiful, but also, deadly. He gulped unconsciously, he was in the presence of a top predator, and he knew it

He could only imagine that her companion was extra muscle, he had no doubts that the woman could handle herself, so the only reason he would be here was that he was meant to handle the more mundane menial tasks

The woman then spoke, "We're from the Senate, we have a few questions regarding your contract with them."

Scabulous put on his best diplomatic face, "Oh but of course, far be it from me to go against the Senate," he cleared his throat, "Ask away lass."

The woman's eye twitched at the word _'lass'_ , but she pressed on, "We understand your hunting a group of renegades yes?"

"Aye, that's correct, bunch of brats, we caught up with them about two days ago, had them right where we wanted them, then they start filling me ship full of Leechers and pluck us out of the sky," Scabulous ranted, gesturing at his ship as he did so, "Even had the gall to gloat about it as they got away."

The woman ran her eyes over the _Blood Crow_ , "Impressive, for a bunch of teenagers, did you see which way they went?"

Here Scabulous paused, as much as he wanted to be diplomatic, he also didn't want to lose his prize to two government officials, "Well, ya see, the thing about that... we was having some difficulty staying in the air, took us everything we had to set her down here, so we didn't right see which way they went."

The woman scrutinized Scabulous for a moment, before coming to a decision, "Very well then, in that case you're no use to me."

As if on some unspoken signal, the young man marched up to Scabulous, drawing a Firebolt as he did, and using it to ignite a blade of flame in his hand, raising it up over his head to strike

"WAIT!" Scabulous cried, throwing his hands up in defence, in the same instance, the young woman held up a hand, causing her companion to stop, flame blade still raised

"Do you have something for me?" she then asked Scabulous sweetly. As he heard them, Scabulous wondered how her words could sound so threatening at the same time

"There... there was a shuttle," Scabulous panted, fearing for his life, "A Cyclonian shuttle, they unloaded supplies from it, that's all I know I swear, I really didn't see which way they went, even if I did I couldn't give you a heading from here, we're in the wrong place... but you might find something on the shuttle, that's the last place they were before we encountered them."

The woman smiled, "There now, was that so hard." She then nodded to her companion who raised the blade a little higher

"Wait I told you everything, you can't just-" but he never finished, as the blade came down and sliced across his throat

Scabulous crumpled to the ground, the woman meanwhile was already walking away, her companion following. They soon reached the shuttle, it wasn't anything special really, just a standard cargo shuttle, they found some damaged supplies that had been left behind, as well as the graves

The young man brought in the tags while the woman was busy at the ship's computer, "Azula, look at this," the man said emotionlessly as he handed her the tags

Azula took them and held them up to the light, she saw nothing of interest, until, "Lightning Strike," Azula lowered the tags, staring into space, "Well, isn't that interesting, if I'm not much mistaken, our study of the facility security cameras revealed that his son, Aerrow Strike is with the rebels."

"Along with Dove Gale, Piper Peregrine, Stork Phobia, and Junko Ton," the man replied

Azula nodded, "Indeed Zuko, not to mention our two princesses, Starling and Lark Cyclonis, what are the chances that such a group of people could be gathered together, and that they'd run into one of their parents during their flight?"

"Not high," Zuko replied

Azula nodded again, "Yes, not high at all... I wonder..." Azula thought for a moment, then her eyes sparked with inspiration, "Which of their home Terra's is the closest?"

Zuko thought for a moment, before robotically replying, "Terra Mesa, Piper Peregrine's home Terra."

Azula smiled, "I think we've found our next lead," she said standing

Zuko looked confused for a moment, "But sister, won't they be trying to return to the resistance?"

"Then why haven't they already done so, ergo, they can't, if they had the option, they'd have gone straight back, not leave themselves targets to bounty hunters," Azula replied, "They don't know where the resistance is hiding – makes sense seeing as Starling has spent the last nine years in deep cover on Atmosia – so their trying to find them, and while they do that, they're going to need a place to lay low, what better place than where you have family and friends who might shelter you."

The two of them walked back to their rides, the Murk Raiders - still busy with repairs - had not noticed the fate of their Captain yet. They mounted, and took off once more, climbing into the sky, before they left though, Azula turned her ride around, and pulled out a light blue crystal, it's surface seeming to dance, shimmer and flicker. "But before we leave, let's take care of any witnesses, and interference."

With those words, Azula used the crystal to conjure a massive lightning bolt, and aimed it directly for the ship's engines; the _Blood Crow_ tore itself asunder as the explosions ripped through the hull, fire engulfing it. There was a reason Azula and her brother were known in certain circles as the _Fire Mage Demons_

With the _Blood Crow_ shattered into pieces, the Murk Raiders dead or dying, Azula and Zuko turned away from the now smoking Terra, stained with blood

* * *

 _ **Condor Med-bay – that evening**_

Dove had been right, Lark felt much better after some rest, it hadn't been sleep, not really, sleep would have meant dreams, it was more unconsciousness brought on from exhaustion and stress. That hadn't meant however that she woke feeling terrible, on the contrary, she was feeling good, if not fully recovered yet, Long Feng still loomed in her mind's eye, still haunted her

Suddenly, Piper stuck her head into the Med-bay, "Heh Dove, how's Lark?" she asked chirpily

"Ca va, I want to keep monitoring her for a while, but she is awake and alert, and looking much better," Dove replied

"I'm also a little hungry," Lark called from her bed, causing the two of them to smile

"Good thing I stopped by the kitchen on my way here then," Piper said, as she stepped in, carrying a tray of food, and something else under her arm

Dove chuckled as Lark's stomach growled at the sight of food, "Not a bad idea, I was feeling a little hungry myself," she said as she began making her way out, "Come get me if there are any problems d'accord."

Piper nodded, and with that Dove left them alone. Piper helped Lark to sit up in bed, before placing the food in front of her, Lark tucked in with gusto; she'd barely eaten all day. Piper just sat and waited patiently for her to finish, the item that had been under her arm now held in front of her, Lark saw that it was a pad of paper

Once she had finished eating, Lark grew sombre again, "Piper, answer me truthfully... are you afraid of me?"

Piper blinked, wondering what had brought this on, then she sighed, "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't, all that power, it reminds me of a volcano, living near it can provide lots of benefits, but you have to be ready for it to blow," Piper saw Lark twitch slightly at her words, knowing they were effecting her, but Lark needed to hear the truth, and Piper wasn't finished yet

"But I'm not going to let that get in the way of helping you, just because I'm afraid of something, doesn't mean I won't stand and face it," as she spoke, Piper carefully observed Lark's face so she could read her reaction to what she said next, "I made you a promise Lark, and I intend on seeing it through."

Lark blinked, shocked, turning to look Piper in the eye, "Even knowing I could snap and kill you, and everyone else aboard this ship at the drop of a hat?" she asked

Piper gave a small smile at that, "I don't believe you will, not when we're all trying to help you regain what you've lost," she replied, then held up the pad of paper, "Starting today," she then handed the pad to Lark, along with a case of pencils, an eraser, and a pencil sharpener, "A little something from me and Starling, hopefully, it can bring more of _you_ back, and keep the weapon Long Feng tried to create at bay."

Lark stared at the pad and drawing equipment for a moment, her mind a whirl, Long Feng had given her drawing material as well, but that had been to gauge her mental state and to have a window into her head. This, this was a gift, and Lark could feel her chest swell with joy at having received it, she loved to draw, she didn't know why, she just loved it, and she'd been refusing to for years now

But Piper wasn't Long Feng, she was kind where he was cruel, understanding, where he was brash, Lark knew Piper wouldn't pry at her private drawings, not without her permission first. Slowly with tears beginning to form in her eyes, she held the pad and case close to her chest, before turning to look at Piper, "Thank you Piper... you... you don't know how much this means to me."

Piper smiled, already knowing her plan had been a success, this particular battle was nowhere near won, but small victories went a long way, and for this particular battle, she'd take them where she could. "Oh, I think I have an idea," she replied smiling, "I'll leave you be," then started towards the door, when she reached it she turned back, "Remember though, if you ever want to talk..." Piper trailed off as she looked back to Lark

"I know, your right here... thank you Piper," Lark finished for her, Piper nodded, and with that she left. Lark looked down at the pad and case in her arms, and gave a contended sigh, she then carefully laid the tray on the bed side table, and then settled back down to sleep

This time, when the nightmares came, in the blackness where she'd encountered her doppelganger, there was a desk behind her with a single lit lamp sitting on it, and the drawing materials Piper had given her. Lark sat down, and began to draw, much to the ire of her doppelganger, who tried desperately to get her attention, to torment her

But this was Lark's own little world of happiness, very few things made her happier than when she was drawing, expressing her thoughts and emotions on paper, especially when their focus, was a certain blue haired, amber eyed Atmosian, with the heart of an angel

* * *

 **And that's a wrap for now folks**

 **please let me know what you guys think, are these chapters too short, should I make them longer and put more in them, or are they too long and be more condensed (For the record, not counting this and the note at the start, the chapter is 7999 words long)**

 **As always constructive criticism is _more_ than welcomed, and I'm quite happy to hear your thoughts and feelings of the chapter as well**

 **Now, the French translations (nowhere _near_ as many this time thank Dieu ; P )**

 **Arrete de discuter et pense a une solution = Stop Arguing and think of a solution  
**

 **Non = No (that's an easy one)**

 **Ca va = Just fine**

 **D'accord = Okay**

 **With that, I bid you all Au Revoir, and I'll see you all next time ; )**


	10. Chp9: Terra Mesa Part 1

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters, locations, equipment etc used in this story, it exists purely because I want it to**

 **WARNING: This Story contain themes of violence, torture, segregation, slavery and death (not necessarily in that order). Graphic content has been kept to a minimum to avoid M rating, even so, viewer discretion is advised**

 **Hello all, I'm on an inspiration spree at the moment, don't expect it, my free time for writing to last, we're coming up to Halloween, one of the busiest times of the year for where I work. My shifts have already gone up an hour and I expect that to continue as the 31st of Oct draws closer, so there's going to be a lull between October and December as I get less and less time to write, and possible that lull will stretch on a bit into early 2018**

 **Come Feb 2018 though I'll be back in the saddle to finish this story - if I haven't already done so - for now though, I'm getting in as much writing time as I can while the inspiration spree lasts. If my current chapter production holds, and taking into account the end of year lull, I should be finished about spring-summer 2018  
**

 **But enough of that, BACK TO THE ACTION!**

 **So last time we left the gang, Lark was having nightmares, which - along with the stress of being hunted by ALF, as well as an overload of power - caused her to snap and almost turn on our heroes, nearly resulting in the loss of our favorite Tactics Specialist. Piper and Starling had a small spat concerning Lark's well being, but quickly came to terms, knowing they could better help Lark together**

 **And help her they did, thanks to their efforts, Lark was able to confront the first of her demons and win (and yes I did say _first_ , _Muhahahahahaha_ ), and now seems to be on the mend ( _for now_ ) **

**Meanwhile, Azula and Zuko caught up with Scabulous and the Murk Raiders... and OBLITERATED them, what does this mean for our heroes... you'll just have to wait and see**

 **Finally, the Chapter songs, for those of you who are confused, I listen to music when I write, helps me focus, while writing the last chapter I put the song in question on at one point, and it just clicked with me for some reason, so that's both why I started it and chose that song**

 **SPEAKING OF!**

 **I really liked how this one turned out as well, and it's only PART 1, so here we go**

 **Today's Chapter song is... _Every Breath You Take_ , By Chase Holfelder (This is more for Azula and Zuko's scene than anything else... you'll see _Muhahahahaha_ )  
**

 **So, Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, Dear Readers all, sit back, relax, enjoy, and welcome back to... The Storm and the Hawk**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 9: Terra Mesa – Part 1**_

 **The next morning**

The whole gang was having breakfast after what had been a restless night for most. After narrowly escaping ALF forces the other day, they'd tried to get as far away from their last hiding place – and Atmosia – as possible. It hadn't worked, ALF had hunted them relentlessly, they thankfully, hadn't had another confrontation, but for the remainder of yesterday, and all of last night, they'd had to stay on the move, constantly avoiding ALF cruisers

This had resulted in everyone but Lark taking shifts on the bridge to keep an eye out and either fly –in Stork's case – or monitor the auto pilot and adjust it as necessary, meaning Lark was the only one who'd gotten a full night's sleep. She was now happily sketching away, a finished plate of breakfast lying beside her, while everyone else was still groggily munching through theirs

Only once everyone was finished, was the silence broken, by Aerrow, "No offense Starling, but I don't think I could go through that _every_ night."

"Entendu, and I had to watch over Lark as well last night," Dove said tiredly, eyes drooping as she fought to stay awake

Starling sighed exasperatedly, "Look I get it, we're all tired, and last night was rough, but we can't afford to be captured."

"We get that Starling," Piper said, "But being this out of it also means we're not going to be as alert right now when we most need to be."

"I second that," Stork called weakly from where he lay slumped over the table, "How am I supposed to fly in this state?"

Junko had already given in to his tired state, as an abrupt snore attested to. Lark looked up from her pad here, "Well, I can monitor the auto pilot by myself for the morning while you guys all catch up on some sleep, it's the least I can do since I was in the Med-bay all of last night."

Piper smiled at that, "Thanks Lark, we appreciate that, but what we really need is to lose these ALF cruisers," Lark opened her mouth to speak, but Piper beat her to it, "And no, we're not going to go around blowing them up."

Lark pouted, "I was going to say we disable their engines and make a break for it."

Piper chuckled, but it was Starling who responded, "Even if we could, they'd just repair them and get them back into the sky, and the only effective method we have for doing that right now is for Piper to bind Firebolt energy to you, which I'll remind you both is _dangerous_ with prolonged use," she said sternly

Both Piper and Lark glanced away sheepishly at that, "We know Starling, don't worry, we'll only use the Binding in emergencies," Piper replied

Starling nodded at that, before sighing and leaning back in her chair while running a hand through her violet locks, "What we really need, is a place to lay low until the heat dies down, if ALF can't find us, they'll assume we've made it back to the resistance and will give up the chase." Starling paused here as she forced her tired brain to run through all the options and risks, "It'll also give us time to decode the map and actually _find_ the resistance, the only problem, is _where_."

Aerrow nodded sombrely, "Yea, after our run in with the Murk Raiders, ALF seems to be combing every uninhabited Terra from Atmosia to the great expanse."

Piper suddenly sat up straighter as a thought occurred to her, "What if we hid out on a habited Terra instead?"

Everyone's eyes turned to her, looks of incredulity plastered across their faces, "Are you, OUT OF YOUR ATMOS DAMMNED MIND!?" Stork shouted, jolting Junko awake, and shaking the sleep out of everyone else too. Next to Piper, Lark also jumped, before looking at her pad forlornly

Starling clapped the Merb round the back of the head, "Volume Stork," she said crisply, to which Stork sank back onto the table. Then Starling sighed and turned to Piper, "That said, I agree, why would you even suggest that, our faces have to be on wanted posters on every Terra in the Atmos by now, not to mention the _Condor_ is probably in the databases of every air traffic control station as a stolen craft," she stated sternly, "The moment we land, we'll be arrested, kind of defeats the point of escaping Piper."

Piper rolled her eyes, "I'm aware of that, and I wasn't suggesting we land in sight of everyone, there are multiple Terra's with wilderness areas that would provide the perfect hiding place, if we can reach them undetected, we can hide out, and travel into the settlements for supplies," she explained, "Anyone already on the Terra will simply assume we've come from somewhere else on the Terra and won't give us a second glance, so long as we're careful about hiding our faces, and ALF wouldn't _dare_ uproot a whole Terra just to search for us, and would just as likely assume we'd stay away from such places, for the exact reasons you just stated."

Silence followed her explanation as the idea began to settle and take shape in everyone's mind, "You know, it's not a bad idea actually," Junko said tiredly

"Alright, supposing we actually did this, which Terra would we hide out on?" Aerrow asked

"It would have to be somewhere close, we cannot do a long flight right now," Dove said

"Somewhere with places to hide," Starling added nodding

"And somewhere we can get all the necessary supplies," Stork put in

Piper took a breath, she knew a place that fit the bill perfectly, but convincing everyone else would be difficult because of which Terra it was, "What about Terra Mesa?"

All eyes now turned to her again, she continued before anyone else could speak, "It's close, probably the closest habited Terra with a large population that still has areas where we could hide out, there's even a way we could approach the Terra undetected, and it has all the usual shops and dealers to maintain, repair and even upgrade ships, not to mention a fully stocked general store for food and other essential items."

"It also has a large, natural, underground reservoir that they draw water from for ships that stop there, even after using seismometers to measure it, they still haven't found the bottom, meaning it would be easy to tap in and take some water for ourselves without anyone noticing. After all we need it, we're almost out," This from Lark which surprised everyone as they turned to look at her, "What, I've done some reading the last couple of days, found a book labelled _'Travellers Guide to the Atmos'_ ," she explained

"Okay," Starling replied, "But what was that about the water, you said we're almost out?" she asked

Lark nodded, "I don't know how much we had in the tank to begin with, but seven people using the water for various things means we down to our last gallon, and it's a hundred gallon tank," she explained

Stork gave a small cough, and now all eyes turned to him, "Did you check the _secondary_ tank?" he asked nervously

Lark nodded, "Bone dry," she stated simply

Starling rolled her eyes, then brought her gaze back to Piper, "Piper... you're aware this would be us hiding, not going back for a family visit?" she asked tiredly

Piper nodded, "I'm aware, as much as I want to see them again, I know the risks of us even _going_ to Terra Mesa, I'm not about to put all our lives in danger just because I'm homesick, or worrying about my parents," she replied

Starling nodded, then sighed before turning to Stork, "How long would it take us to get to Terra Mesa?"

"Depends on how many ALF cruisers are between us and the Terra, could be a couple hours, could be half a dozen, could be never if it's really bad," he replied

Starling nodded again, "Alright, help Lark set up the Auto pilot, then the rest of us will get some sleep before we reach the Terra, I want us all to be as alert as possible for our approach."

Everyone nodded to that, then everyone began dispersing and heading to bed, they were stopped however when Lark spoke up, "One last thing," she called

Everyone turned to her as she held up her pad, it had an unfinished sketch of a hawk, with a jagged line running through it, Piper recalled that Lark had jumped when Stork had his little outburst, she gave a groan of defeat, and Stork had likewise gone very green as well

"Next time you cause me to ruin one of my sketches; you get a spark up your backside, are we clear?" Lark stated sternly, Stork nodded, before fainting and falling off his chair

Starling groaned, "Couldn't you have waited to do that until _after_ he'd set the auto pilot for you?"

"Nope, this way is more fun," Lark said cheekily, a broad smile stretched across her face

Starling shook her head, "Junko, help me wake him up please."

* * *

 _ **Condor Bridge, 30 minutes later**_

Lark sat in one of the chairs at the table just behind the controls on the bridge, the auto pilot set, and the _Condor_ cruising through the air towards Terra Mesa. Stork – after he recovered from fainting at Lark's little joke – had set the auto pilot to take them through an area unlikely to have any ALF cruisers searching it currently, due to tight spaces between a collection of rock stacks and proximity to the wastelands

Perhaps not the safest route, but he had been insistent that the _Condor's_ systems would detect any danger and alert Lark, while also giving her an alternate route to avoid said danger. After that, Stork and the others had gone to bed, leaving Lark alone on the bridge, confident she wouldn't be spied on, Lark pulled out her pad and flicked to a page near the middle

On it was a rough sketch of a face, for the moment, it was just basic outlines, a rough framework, but with time to kill, Lark wanted to continue working on it, without interruptions by the others. She carefully laid out her pencils and other drawing equipment out beside her, before turning to the pad, and picking up a freshly sharpened pencil

She began adding to the framework, gradually expanding on it, as she did, a face slowly began to appear

Before she could continue any further however, the _Condor's_ controls began beeping, heaving a sigh, Lark went over to investigate. The early warning systems had picked up a large heat signature up ahead, indicating some sort of eruption had occurred in the wastelands below. Three possible routes had been provided by the computer for them to take

The first just barely skirted the eruption before continuing on, the second took a wide detour around, taking them temporarily back onto common flight lanes, the third wove through a small labyrinth of rock formations that would take time to get through, but was a more direct route

Lark mulled it over, the first was risky, if the eruption got any worse it could damage the ship, and they'd be too close to correct with the auto pilot, meaning she'd have to wake Stork up, so that was a no go. The second ran the risk of encountering ALF cruisers, also a no go, they had to reach their destination undetected, so the third it was, it would take longer, but once they got out of the labyrinth, they'd be just a 30 minute straight shot from the Terra

Lark selected the third route, and the auto pilot adjusted, the matter settled, Lark went back to her drawing. She moved on from the face and decided it was time to start drawing the torso, being careful to get the proportions correct, she started at the shoulders and neck, connecting them to the head, she started off lightly, making it easy to erase any mistakes without ruining the finished product

She had been going for about 45 minutes, when the ship's controls began beeping again, a frustrated groan escaped Lark's lips this time as she went back to the controls. The ship had detected a life form in the labyrinth, a _big_ life form, big enough to do some serious damage to the ship; they could either head straight past it in the most direct route, or skirt around it and add another half hour to their travel time

Lark was getting annoyed from having been pulled away from her drawing twice now, and a few sparks travelled up and down her arms as a voice whispered in the back of her mind

" **Let's just find this thing and kill it, it's in our way and it will mean we get to where we're going faster."**

Lark shuddered at the words spoken in her own voice, but layered with hate, malice, and cruelty, then a second voice joined the conversation

" _Just go around, so what if it takes longer, that gives us more time to draw, and the others more time to sleep, and wouldn't it be easier to sneak onto the Terra when it's dark anyway?"_

The dark voice began belittling the second for weakness, but Lark ignored it, and chose the detour, the dark voice began belittling her as well after that for her decision, but Lark continued to ignore it as she went back to drawing, the feel of a pencil in her hand and the paper on her skin comforting her, causing the dark voice to fall silent

By the time the controls began beeping again, she had finished the torso and moved onto the arms and legs, with small additions as to the scenery surrounding the subject of her sketch. Now thoroughly ticked off, Lark stomped over to the controls, noting it had been another 30 minutes since she'd been called up to the controls. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw what was in front of them

The _Condor_ had stopped at the exit to the labyrinth, which was being blocked by a large flying creature. It had to be almost as big as the _Condor_ itself, it had a streamlined, torpedo-shaped body and a horizontally flattened head and two cloudy eyes on either side of it. Four large tentacles emerged from the back of it, a small dorsal fin rose from its back while two pectoral fins flapped languidly at its side. The skin looked smooth and was bluish purple in colour, its mouth hung ever so slightly open, and inside, Lark could make out egg-shaped, irregularly implanted teeth

She stared in amazement at the creature in front of her, before the computer reminded her that the creature was blocking their way out. The dark voice returned

" **Now we have no choice, kill it and let's move on, quickly now, time is of the essence."**

" _NO!"_ the second voice cried, _"It's not doing anything to harm us, it's just curious, we are in its home after all, there's no need to kill it."_

Lark listened to the two voices squabble, then suddenly she felt a tug, a pull on her mind. Not really knowing what she was doing, she walked out onto the balcony in front of the bridge, standing so that the pilot controls were directly behind her on the other side of the glass

The two voices went silent, as the creature, with a couple small flaps of its pectoral fins moved closer, without hitting the ship. Within seconds the creature had brought one eye right up to Lark, staring straight at her

Lark became lost in the colours swirling within the milky orb, and felt her mind drift away from her, to a place filled with light. Then she heard a new voice

" _ **You intrigue me little one, I sense the power thrumming through you, like a great fire blazing through the air, you bring the potential of great destruction with you wherever you go."**_ The voice seemed to come from everywhere at once, while also sing through her entire being, as though it were both separate, and a part of her at the same time

" _ **A pall of death also hangs over you, blood stains your hands many times over, you have killed dozens already, both man and beast, and more blood lies in your future."**_

Lark felt the dark voice shift and swell inside her at the words, almost as if it was proud, while tears formed in her eyes

" _ **But there is hope, a small spark of the innocence you once possessed remains, the child who was stolen."**_

Suddenly the light vanished, and was replaced with a scene of death and destruction, blood spattered snow covered the ground, buildings burned all around her, and two bodies lay lifeless in front of her. She reached a shaking hand out towards them, trying to see their faces, but the snow blurred her vision, along with her tears

She heard a crunching of snow beneath boots, she looked up, and saw around her the charred corpses of soldiers, the men who had killed the people in front of her, would have killed her as well had she not fought back. Then the crunching stopped, and she turned with tear filled eyes towards a man dressed in black robes with a gold trim, he had black hair that had retreated from his scalp, but hung down from his head in a long ponytail, and a neatly styled and pointed moustache-goatee combo framing a greedy and malevolent smile

"Take her, we'll bring her back to the facility on Atmosia, she'll be the crown jewel in my collection."

Lark then heard a scream, it took her a moment to realize that it came from her, then she was back in the chair, pain coursing through her body, the black haired man, Long Feng, standing nearby, that malevolent grin still plastered across his face

Then it was over, Lark was back on the _Condor_ , standing on the bridge balcony. She fell to her knees, tears streaming down her cheeks, the memory still made no sense to her, the only clear thing had been Long Feng himself, but this recall had been the clearest, it hadn't just been flashes, or half remembered images, but a steady and stable memory of a moment that had occurred so long ago in her life

" _ **You have suffered greatly little one, that much is clear, but you must not give up, for you have now found the Hawk, she will help you, she will guide you, and your Storm shall wipe this world clean of its corruption, and spare the innocent."**_

Lark looked back up, to see the creature was still in front of her, the cloudy orb still fixed upon her, _**"Trust in her, trust in her friends, and you will be whole once more, I cannot promise an easy road, but when you reach the end, you shall find the happiness you seek."**_

With that, the creature left, flying over the _Condor_ and back into the labyrinth, with the path now clear, the ship's auto pilot resumed their course, and the _Condor_ flew steadily from the labyrinth

Lark looked back one last time at the labyrinth as the ship turned and began making its way to terra Mesa. She had no clue what that creature had been, nor what it had just done, or why it had induced those memories, but she was now more confident than ever, that she was on the right path

Unbeknownst to Lark, a man stood at the top of one of the labyrinth walls staring after the _Condor_ as it left. He was dressed in a hooded, multicoloured robe which gave him the look of some form of brightly coloured bird, in his hand he held a cane, his arms crossed as he stood atop the wall

" _ **You were right, she is a conduit of fate, she will change much, her friends too,"**_ the creature said, as it emerged from the labyrinth to float behind him

The man nodded but did not speak, simply stared after the _Condor_ , his plan _had_ to work, he'd failed once, and now the world was covered in darkness, he could not fail again

 _It has to work, it must, or we are all doomed_

* * *

 _ **30 minutes later**_

After leaving the labyrinth, Lark had gone to the kitchen and made some tea for everyone, the smell of freshly brewed tea had the desired effect, rousing Starling, Piper and Dove from their rooms, the boys, woken by the sounds of the girls moving around and chatting, followed shortly afterwards

Piper had wanted to make everyone a quick bite to eat as well, but Lark had insisted she do that herself, she was no cook, but she could do sandwiches. With both some food, and a refreshing cup of tea, everyone was both looking and feeling much more chipper than when they'd gone to bed

Now everyone was gathered on the bridge, prepping for their arrival at Terra Mesa, as they did, Starling examined the auto pilot and noticed the time it had taken them to arrive

"Lark, what route did you take us on exactly?" she asked

Lark continued with her drawing at the table as she replied, "There was an eruption of some sort, so I told the auto pilot to take us through a labyrinth to avoid it and ALF patrols, took us a while but was a quiet trip all things considered."

Everyone looked at one another, before all eyes fell on Piper who was sitting next to Lark, Piper glanced down at the pad, on it was something Piper had never thought she'd see

 _A Purrgil?_

Piper was at a loss for how to respond to this, there was no way that Lark could know about a Purrgil, they were so rare they were considered myth. The only way she could know, was if she had _seen_ one, and the only time she could have seen one without the rest of them knowing, was when she had been monitoring the auto pilot

Piper was aware the others were still staring at her, so she looked back up and just shrugged, the others all looked at one another again, before turning back to what they were doing. Piper then lowered her voice to a whisper, "You didn't hurt it did you?"

Lark paused, and Piper noticed she had become tense, "No," she replied

Piper just nodded and smiled, "Good, then whatever else happened is between you and it."

Lark started at this and looked up at Piper, she saw Piper had a knowing smile on her face, Lark frowned at her, "Have _you_ seen one?" she asked

Piper shook her head, "No, but I've heard stories, and read a lot about them, consider yourself privileged Lark, their incredibly rare, and also very intelligent, they'll only ever let you get close if they consider you worthy, at least, that's how the stories go."

Lark felt herself swell with pride at that, and a broad smile spread across her face. Then Starling spoke up, pulling her thoughts away

"All right gang, we're here," as she spoke, everyone turned to see Terra Mesa appear from the clouds

As it did, Piper felt a small tug at her chest, _I'm home_

* * *

"So, how do we get onto the Terra without anyone noticing us?" Dove asked

Piper got up from the table here and moved round to the controls, she began scanning the Terra's edge, searching for something

"There," she suddenly said, pointing towards a large bank of clouds that almost looked trapped against the Terra's edge, "Take us into that, fly low to avoid us being spotted from the ground, we need to enter in under the Terra's rim."

Stork looked a little skeptical, but a nod from Starling and he was directing the ship towards the cloud bank, taking them as low as he dared

As they neared the cloud bank, the radar began warning them of approaching danger; Aerrow was examining the screen in an instant. "Ok, you want the bad news, or the _really_ bad news?"

"What's the bad news?" Junko asked

"The bad news, is there's an ALF light cruiser on patrol around the Terra, and it's about to get round to this side," Aerrow said

Starling swore, as the others looked nervously towards the left where the Terra curved round beyond sight. "And the _really_ de mauvaises nouvelles?" Dove asked

Aerrow stared ahead into the cloud bank, "The edge of the Terra in the cloud bank is riddled with jagged rock stacks capable of skewering a ship," Aerrow replied

All eyes turned to Piper, who bore a simple, determined look on her face, "We'll be safe for the first 50 metres, just get us in," she said, her voice unwavering

Starling looked back to Stork, who's eye twitched as Starling nodded for him to take them in, "Yep," he said turning back to look at the cloud bank, "We're doomed."

Going slightly faster than necessary, Stork guided the _Condor_ into the cloud bank. They had just entered when the ALF ship came round the corner; they were close enough to the edge that they could still see out. However, this also meant it would only take one person aboard the cruiser to look towards the cloud bank to see them

"This is FOU!" Dove hissed

"Just stay calm, Stork, power down all non-essential systems, nobody make a sound," Piper responded, laying a hand on her friend's shoulder

"How can you be so calm Piper!?" Lark exclaimed in a hushed voice

"They're expecting threats and fugitives to come _towards_ the Terra, not to have already made it past them. All the inner ALF security forces have had to deal with for the better part of the last 30 years are common criminals," Piper explained

"Making them sloppy, which means they make mistakes, like not checking the Terra behind them, which they think is one of the safest places in the Atmos," Starling said, a wry grin spreading across her face, "Nicely done Piper."

Piper smiled back at that, as the cruiser calmly moved by, and the _Condor_ went completely unnoticed, once it was out of sight Aerrow breathed a sigh of relief, he wasn't the only one. "So the cloud bank was to hide us as the patrol came round, but how do we get onto the Terra itself?"

Here Piper turned to the controls, "Do we have sonar on this thing?" she asked turning to Stork

"Are you kidding me, of course she has sonar," he responded haughtily

Piper nodded, "Good, power it up, but only the sonar, that cruiser might be round the corner, but we don't want to risk giving our position away with a power signature."

Stork didn't argue, and powered up the sonar, Lark jumped into the control chair as it did, and once it was ready, looked to Piper for instruction. "What am I looking for?" she asked

"There should be a small gap between the spikes, on Mesa, their known as the Dragon's Fangs, but there's a gap in the middle, we go through that, once we're through, we're looking for a cave, should just be big enough for the _Condor_ to fit through," Piper replied

"This sounds like an old smuggler's legend," Starling commented

Piper nodded, "It is, but it's so old, most people believe the cave doesn't exist anymore, and it was never officially confirmed, so ALF doesn't bother policing it, either because they don't know, or believe it exists."

"Then how do _you_ know about it?" Junko asked

Piper gave a wry smile, as Lark gave directions and instructions to Stork as they navigated the Dragon's Fangs, "Me and my friend Finn did a lot of exploring when we were young, one day we were exploring some pot holes near the Terra's edge, I fell in, almost got trapped, but I found the main cave, and that helped me get part way back to the surface."

"I was rescued about halfway between the cave and the hole I'd originally fell down, so of course no one but me saw the cave, and no one believed I'd seen it, I was just a kid at the time," Piper said

Now everyone was staring at her, even those who should have been keeping an eye on where they were going. As a Fang loomed out of the clouds, Piper gave a gentle nudge to Stork's controls to get them back onto the correct path

"Focus please guys, I'd prefer not to get us stranded down here," Piper chuckled

* * *

Several minutes later, the wall of the Terra loomed out of the clouds, but centred almost perfectly in front of them was a cave entrance leading into the Terra

The entire group was silent as the _Condor_ hung in front of it, then Starling broke the silence, "Stork, take us in."

Carefully, Stork maneuvered the _Condor_ into the cave, as they entered; Lark flicked the external lights on, flooding the cave with illumination. Despite still being on the smaller side as far as caves went, it was still easily big enough to house the _Condor_ , the floor was even wide and flat enough to land on, which Stork proceeded to do. Only once they'd touched down, and the engines had been shut off, did anyone begin to relax

"Nice flying Stork," Starling said, before turning to Piper, "And once again Piper, nicely done."

Piper nodded, smiling, "Thanks."

* * *

 _ **That night**_

"Okay gang, it's too late to do anything tonight, so for now, let's just focus on making sure we're hidden, I want a preliminary sweep of the cave, make sure we're secure, we'll also want an easy way out tomorrow morning," Starling stated, "After that, we get some rest, I don't know about you guys, but after the last few days we've had, I sure could use a full night's sleep."

There was a chorus of 'Here here's' to her words, "Then let's get this done quickly, starting first thing tomorrow, we begin repair and resupply, water takes priority, then parts, we also need weapons, Aerrow and I can't do all the fighting, fate won't be so kind as to make that our only option."

More nods and mummers of agreement, "I highly doubt we'll be able to, but if we can snag some more skimmers, that would be a real boost to us, and finally, if we can, we should get our hands on more crystals, fuel crystals, shouldn't be a problem, but Piper, Lark, any utility crystals you can find for enhancing our combat strength would be a real asset.

"On that note," Lark said, catching everyone's attention, "How are we avoiding detection, while in town?"

Everyone turned back to Starling here, "While we're still this close to Atmosia, cloaks will have to suffice, however, I would suggest we find changes of clothes, it'll make us harder to spot the further out we go, and that goes double for you little sis," Starling replied with a grin

Lark frowned, then glanced down at the prison uniform she was still wearing – Junko and Stork hadn't been well stocked on feminine attire upon leaving Atmosia – "Oh haha, very funny," she drawled, then levelled a pointed glare at Starling, "And don't call me sis."

Starling just shrugged, before turning back to everyone else, "If there's nothing else," Starling paused, waiting for anymore questions to arise, when none did, she continued, "Then let's get that sweep done before heading to bed."

No one argued with that, and in no time, they'd ascertained that the cave was safe and secure, and had turned in for the night

* * *

 _ **Un-named Terra – Crash site of ALF Cruiser Daedalus**_

The ALF commander examined the butcher's bill before him, nearly 60 service men and women lost to that She Devil. He himself had been badly injured and had already been patched up by the ship's physician

Overhead, the cruiser _Terminus_ kept careful watch, currently, they were vulnerable, an attack now would finish them, which was why the commander was thanking Atmos that the rebels had not returned

Suddenly, his radio buzzed, "Yes, what is it?" he asked despondently

"There are two skimmers approaching sir, they say they're from the Senate," came the reply

"Did you check for authentication?" the commander asked

"Yes sir, their codes check out, they've asked to speak to you sir."

The commander considered things for a moment, if these two visitors were from the Senate, likely they had been sent to check on the progress of the rebel's capture, which meant he was about to receive the chewing out of his life. On the other hand, no one had told him an individual with such power had been on that ship, and they were supposed to capture them _alive_

 _Well maybe I should do some chewing out of my own_

"Tell them I'll see them, and tell them I'm _very_ pissed," the commander finally answered

"Yes sir," came the reply, before the radio cut off

A few minutes later, the sound of skimmer engines approached his tent, and the commander caught a glimpse of a jet black Slip-Wing fighter through the tent flap, the rider was wearing jet black combat armour to match

A little odd for Senate agents, but he wasn't going to question if their codes checked out. He then heard voices outside, before the sound of three people began approaching his tent. The flap was pulled back by one of the commander's lieutenants

"The Senate agents to see you sir," the woman stated crisply

"Thank you Grace, you're dismissed," the commander replied

"Sir!" the woman returned, saluting as she did, before leaving the commander with his guests

The Commander scanned his eyes over the two of them, one was a young woman, the other a man, both with dark hair and eyes, the man's looked dull and lifeless, while the woman's in comparison, looked sharp, intelligent, and dangerous

The commander indicated the only other chair in the tent, which the woman sat in, the man moved to stand attendant at her shoulder

"I'm Commander Firebrand, what can I do for you miss...?"

"Azula, Crystal Mage and Senate agent, I'm here regarding a certain group of young rebels that escaped from Atmosia three to four days ago, we were tracking them when we came across your ship's... predicament," the young woman replied

Firebrand glanced at the man behind her, "This is my brother, Zuko, he aids me in all of my duties, and is also a Crystal Mage," Azula informed, Zuko simply nodded in acknowledgement, but didn't offer further input

Firebrand turned his attention back to the woman in front of him, "Miss Azula, very well, those rebels your tracking, we had a run in with them, almost had them dead to rights as well, then one of them blows one of my ships clean out of the sky and badly damages my own personal cruiser."

"You mean you _let_ them get away," Zuko stated rigidly

Firebrand glared at the young man, "No I did not just _let_ them get away, weren't you listening, they _destroyed_ one of my ships, and badly damaged another, not to mention killed a large number of my men!"

Azula's eyes narrowed at this, "How exactly, did they destroy one of your ships?"

Firebrand's glare rounded on Azula now, "You tell me, you're the agent, all I was told was that there was a group of rebels in the area that had to be brought in alive, but no one told me about an overpowered Crystal Mage who could pluck a ship from the sky with a beam of red energy!" he replied angrily

Azula's eyes now widened a look of awe on her face, "Really... she did that?" Azula breathed

If anything, Firebrand's rage only grew, "So you _did_ know about her before sending us after them, you're the reason I have nearly 60 families to explain why their loved ones aren't coming back to them!" he ranted

Azula however, was no longer listening, instead, she was marvelling at the power wielded by their Master's creation

 _She might_ _ **actually**_ _succeed_

"ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME?!" Firebrand suddenly roared, breaking Azula out of her thoughts

"No," Azula stated simply as she stood, "You've already given me all the information I need." With that, Azula turned to leave

"Oh no you don't, those men deserve to have someone answer for their deaths, and if I can't have the _b****_ that actually killed them, I'll take the one that _sent_ them to their deaths!" Firebrand shouted as he grabbed hold of Azula's arm

Zuko had gone into a fighting stance, but had frozen at a raised hand from Azula, "You tread on thin ice commander," she said, her voice calm, deceptively so

"I don't give a damn if you're a Senate agent or not, my men are dead because of you and I _will_ have someone answer for it!" Firebrand replied

Azula smiled sweetly, too sweetly, "You know what Commander, you're absolutely right," the commander blinked here, perplexed, "Now, how many families did you say wouldn't be reunited with their loved ones?"

"I believe he said 60, sister," Zuko replied, deadpan

"Ah yes, that was it, 60... let's see how much higher we can take that number... shall we," Azula said, a cruel malevolent smile revealing her bright white, perfect teeth, her canines, looking an awful lot, like fangs

Before Firebrand could react, lightning sparked around a crystal held in Azula's free hand, and flew up to her shoulder, across the top of her back, and back down her arm, connecting with his. Firebrand's screams filled the tent

Some of his soldiers came to investigate, but Zuko cut them down with a sword of flame. Finally, Firebrand collapsed to his knees as Azula let go of the now dying man

The two siblings left the way they came, killing anyone in their way, after reaching their rides they took off back into the air, a massive lightning bolt stabbed out towards the _Terminus'_ engines, a bright blossom of flame lit the night sky

Seconds later, a second explosion erupted from the direction of the _Daedalus_ , and the entire camp and its occupants, were consumed in flames

* * *

 **And that's a wrap, constructive criticism is as always, welcome, and stay tuned for part 2, it won't be far behind this one  
**

 **French Translations**

 **Entendu = Agreed (Not sure on this one, I was given several choices, one of which I've used before for a different word, if anyone knows for sure, please give me a shout and I'll make an edit)**

 **De mauvaises nouvelles = Bad news  
**

 **Fou = Crazy (also not sure, I don't actually speak french, ; P )**

 **That's all folks, see you next time ; )**


	11. Chp10: Terra Mesa Part 2

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters, locations, equipment etc used in this story, it exists purely because I want it to**

 **WARNING: This Story contain themes of violence, torture, segregation, slavery and death (not necessarily in that order). Graphic content has been kept to a minimum to avoid M rating, even so, viewer discretion is advised**

 **GREETINGS ALL, got a special treat for you today**

 **This chapter turned out WAY longer than I originally intended, so your getting two uploads for the price of one**

 **This will of course bring us to the end of the Terra Mesa segment, and we'll be moving on to the next segment in my synopsis plan next upload, which they'll be a couple of small teasers for over these two chapters (Top marks to those who can shout the name of the Character we'll be meeting in the next segment in their reviews)**

 **Also by special request of Kinglan10, we have some shipping occurring over these two parts, it's not much, but expect a slightly tangy taste (I apologise in advance for the specific scene this chapter, but I just couldn't resist ; P )**

 **No chapter song for this chapter, it's not that I don't like this one, I do, but nothing really fit well enough with the chapter, so no song for this one (the next one though will have TWO ; P )**

 **So, Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, Dear Readers all, welcome back to... The Storm and the Hawk**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 10: Terra Mesa Part 2**_

 _ **The next morning – Terra Mesa**_

Starling got everyone up early so they could get into the markets and shops during the morning rush, her case for this, the more people that were around; the less likely it was that they'd be picked out of a crowd

As they approached the main settlement, Starling turned to them all again, "Ok, so we've all got our tasks for today right?"

Everyone nodded, as Aerrow spoke first, "Me, Junko and Stork will go round the dealers, see if we can get some upgrade parts for the _Condor_ ," he paused as he glanced at Stork, "And find some cannon upgrades while we're at it."

Stork cringed at that as Junko continued, "We'll also scope out the water pumps to find where we can tap in," he said

Starling nodded, "Meanwhile, me and the girls will make sure we're stocked on fresh food and medical equipment, as well as crystals," Starling now glanced at Lark, who was wearing the thickest cloak, to better hide her prison uniform that she was wearing. "We'll also work on getting us all some new wardrobes," Lark rolled her eyes as Starling grinned

She then turned to the boys, "Sure you guys are okay with us shopping for you?"

Aerrow waved her off, "It saves time, the less time we have to spend around other people; the less likely we are to be recognised and alerted to the authorities."

Starling nodded at that, it made sense logically, "Alright then, we'll meet you back at the ship later today then, and compare whatever we've learned and what we still need," she replied

With that, they split up upon reaching the edge of the main settlement, the boys heading for the dealers, the girls heading for the main market quarter

* * *

"I'm _not_ coming out!" Lark stated firmly

Piper sighed as beside her Starling shook her head; they'd been at this for nearly half an hour already

"Oh come on Lark, it is not that hard, think of it like... changing costumes," Dove called through the curtain

"Come on Lark, you heard Aerrow earlier, the more time we spend out and about, the greater the risk we take," Starling insisted

"Alright _fine_!" Lark grumbled

The curtain swished back, and the three girls immediately covered their faces and Lark as they tried to push her back in

"Lark! what in the wastelands, get back in there!" Starling exclaimed, as they got the curtain closed again

"What, first you tell me to get out, now you push me back in, make up your minds!?" she snapped back

"Lark, Mon Cheri, your only wearing your underwear," Dove said quietly so as not to attract any more attention

Silence settled over them for some time, behind the curtain, Lark's pale complexion was turning a very deep shade of crimson, "These... these are what Piper gave me," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper

Starling turned a steely gaze on Piper, whose own cheeks were now very dark, "Take another look in the bag Lark, I got you other things."

There was some muted rustling, before a very quiet "Oh," followed by, "I'll be out in a few minutes."

The three girls breathed a sigh of relief, and began to relax, moving slightly away from the changing cubicle, "Nine years a prisoner, with nothing to wear except that affreux prison uniform, and knowing nothing else," Dove said sadly

Starling nodded mutely, "Lark get's to decide what to do with it, no one else."

Neither of them argued, none of them could really begin to put themselves in Lark's shoes, what she'd been through. They were broken from their morbid thoughts however, when Lark emerged for the second time, now, thankfully dressed

"Well, what do you think?" she asked nervously

She was now dressed in a light, flight-jumpsuit, similar to the Academy sports uniform that Starling, Piper and Dove had all been wearing during – and since – the raid on the facility holding Lark hostage. Unlike the uniform however, this was purpose built to protect the wearer from the biting winds and other dangers flying through the Atmos presented

For one, it was thicker, and possessed light leather armour padding in places like the shoulders and right side of the chest, the forearms, thighs and shins. It also had an internal fur lining for warmth, and a more decorative but also functional fur lining around the collar

All three of them were wearing variants of the same design, Piper's was next to identical to Lark's, both of theirs also had a special weave running through them to protect against crystal blasts. Starling's was designed for frontline combat, with additional armour padding and a thicker, but simpler weave, and was a variant popular with mercenaries and bounty hunters. Not quite military grade, but it would do

Dove's was somewhere in the middle, she had more armour padding than Lark or Piper, but also had a multitude of pockets like their jumpsuits. Lark and Piper's jumpsuit pockets were for holding crystals however, Dove's was purpose built for medical equipment

Apart from all this, the only differences were the colour. Piper had switched out her deep sea blue and orange, for a navy blue with yellow trim, the fur lining was a dark red. Dove had chosen a forest green to match her hair, while purchasing, Dove noticed – much to her approval – that the jumpsuit was multiple shades of forest green, giving a pseudo-camouflage effect, the fur lining was also a deep, rich, brown.

Starling had also gone green, but hers was closer to emerald, with a purple trim, the fur lining was white. Finally, Lark's outfit was a collection of deep, dark shades of violet with a black trim, and black fur lining, hers also came complete with a detachable hood, which could be secured to prevent it being blown off while on a skimmer

Piper had to admit, Lark now officially looked normal, and it looked _good_ on her. She smiled, as the perfect response to Lark's question came to mind, "How do you feel?"

Lark blinked, but she saw all three of them smiling, slowly, she began to smile back, "Like a million bucks," she joked, causing the others to laugh. Things turned serious though as they picked up their bags, in them was Lark's prison uniform

There hadn't even been any kind of identification on it, there hadn't needed to be, she'd been Long Feng's personal prisoner

 _Not anymore_

"And free, as soon as we burn this," she stated firmly, holding up the bag with the offending item

Starling, Piper and Dove all nodded, "Come on, let's find some place we can get rid of it," Starling said

With that, items paid for, they left the shop, the only thing marring the moment... the wanted posters glaring at them across the street, forcing them to wrap their cloaks around themselves once more

* * *

 _ **Terra Atmosia – Long Feng's facility**_

Ace was dumped back into his cell after yet another torture session, with each passing one; Ace seemed to lose a little bit more of himself

" **How easy it would be to give in, there would be no more pain, no more suffering, and we'd be on the winning side."** The words were dark and cold, but worst of all, spoken in his own voice

" _No! You mustn't give up, Starling will find a way, she'll see that her sister isn't herself, she'll figure it out."_ Came the immediate response, from a voice which sounded a lot like Starling's

" **If you really believed that, you'd have killed yourself already, you wouldn't have let this go on, you wouldn't allow Long Feng the pleasure of breaking your mind."**

" _Kill himself with what!? His bare hands, the guards would stop him before he even got close!"_

" **Or could it be that secretly, you WANT Long Feng to succeed, you want him to win, to BREAK you, it would be the simple option, you get to live, and you betray no one."**

" _THAT'S A LIE!"_

 **(Chuckles) "Oh really, then do it, end your life, take the noble way out like Osprey did, don't let them use you for their own ends, go ahead, KILL YOURSELF AND END YOUR TORMENT!"**

 _..._

" **Just as I thought, you're weak and a coward... Osprey would be ashamed if he knew he'd put his trust in such a pathetic excuse for a soldier... but do you know who would TRULY feel betrayed by your weakness..."**

"Please, don't," Ace begged weakly

" **Starling Cyclonis."**

Ace curls into himself, tears tracking down his cheeks

" **She put her faith in you... she TRUSTED you... and you FAILED her... you FAILED Osprey... you FAILED the Cyclonians... you PROMISED them their freedom... all those people you left behind in that camp... you PROMISED them they would be free... you promised STARLING they would be free... you PROMISED her that her SISTER would be free..."**

" **But she isn't... she's still a puppet of Long Feng's... an assassin... that Starling is unwittingly bringing RIGHT to her grandmother's doorstep... ALL. BECAUSE. YOU. WERE. TOO. WEAK!"**

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT _UP!"_ Ace screamed, the sound bouncing off the cell walls, as he collapsed back to the floor, harsh sobs wracking his frame, "Just go away," he sobbed quietly

" **Oh, but I' am a part of you... I've always been a part of you... Ace... and TOGETHER... we're going to do GREAT and TERRIBLE things."**

A shadow stretched from Ace then, casting itself upon the cell wall opposite the door, the shadow was Ace's, but rather than the broken man on the floor, this one showed a tall, strong, powerful, _Dark_ figure, looming above all, a two pronged sword held in his hand, glowing red, as Ace's form began to still, save for his slow steady breathing

* * *

 _ **Terra Mesa**_

A small spark tossed into the metal drum containing Lark's prison uniform, and a fire roared to life, the grey fabric quickly consumed by the hungry flames

The four girls stared into the drum, each held a different look, but it was Lark's hard eyes that scared Piper most, they fitted onto her face too well for Piper's liking. As if in another life, she could have been the weapon Long Feng tried to create... of her own free will

Piper quickly pushed that thought away though as Lark's expression softened, and tears began forming in her eyes

"Lark, you okay?" Piper asked

Lark looked up, and met Piper's eyes, Piper was shocked to see terror in them, "I don't feel free... I thought I would... but I don't... why don't I feel free?" Lark replied, fear coating every syllable

Piper took her hand, and Starling – feeling brave – laid a hand on the younger girl's shoulder. Lark glanced at Piper's hand, then Starling, before turning back to Piper at the sound of her voice, "It'll take time, you've been through so much, and it takes time to heal, more so the mind than the body, the body is easy, the mind is hard..." Piper trailed off, and looked over Lark's shoulder to Starling, who now spoke

"But we'll be here to help, we'll always be here, and whether you believe your my sister or not, you still _are_ , and I'm _never_ abandoning you again," she said, a comforting smile gracing her lips

Lark stared at her wide eyed, she then glanced to Dove, who also nodded with a smile, they then turned back to the drum, as the last remnants of the prison uniform turned to cinders

Lark wiped the tears from her eyes "Thanks guys," she said, a smile slowly beginning to form, she then brought a hand up to Starling's, and after a moment's hesitation, laid hers over Starling's

Starling blinked, then smiled, it wasn't much, but it was a start. There was still a long road ahead, and it was possible that Lark would never _fully_ recover, but for now, this was enough

Once the fire died down, they decided it was time to go, the boys were probably back at the _Condor_ by now and wondering where they were

Before they could leave the alley however, a voice alerted them to another's presence, "No, way."

All four girls whipped round, to find a lanky, blond haired boy around the same age as Piper, Dove and Lark, standing a short distance from them. Before anyone could say anything, the boy spoke again, "Piper... is that, _really_ you?"

Piper's eyes widened as recognition dawned, "Finn?" she ventured

The boy simply nodded in reply, then the two gave cries of happiness and rushed to embrace the other. Dove, Lark and Starling looked on confused, and a little worried

"I can't believe it's you, your back after five years!" Finn cried

" _I_ can't believe you even recognise me, you've got a brain like a sieve, Mr Class Clown!" Piper shot back, smiling and ruffling Finn's hair as she did

"Haha laugh it up Piper, but I'll have you know, I'm a rock star now," Finn returned, looking pretty pleased with himself

Piper burst out laughing, "A rock star, you couldn't hold a note if your life depended on it!"

"Oh yea, well then check this out," Finn countered, reaching for something on his belt

Starling reacted on instinct, leaping forward and tackling Finn before he even knew what hit him

"Starling, what are doing?!" Piper cried, concerned for her friend

"He was reaching for a weapon, or a radio, either way he was going to turn us in for the reward," Starling shot back, pinning Finn to the ground in a classic hold

Finn looked back at her from the ground indignantly, "Dude, not cool, I'd never turn in a friend, Piper and I have been buddies since kindergarten!"

"And I'm sure you'd still remember that friendship after five years apart and a huge bounty on offer," Starling snarled back

"Starling Cyclonis, let, him, go!"

Everyone froze, Dove and Lark stared at Piper in shock, Finn too, Starling's face was one of incredulity. Piper spoke again before anyone else could

"No I will not apologise for what I just did, yes I trust him, and he wasn't about to attack us, the only type of weapon Finn has ever been able to handle is his dart crossbow, and that thing is clunky as all wastelands, no way he'd be able to hide it on his person," Piper stated, arms crossed, "So I'll say it one more time, let, him, go."

Starling stared at Piper, her face impassive as her brain processed what Piper had just told her, then she looked back at Finn, which is when she saw what he'd been reaching for, it was a pamphlet. Starling sighed in defeat

"Sorry, to both of you, I jumped to conclusions and reacted on instinct," Starling said as she released Finn and helped him to his feet

Piper's expression immediately softened, "No problem Starling," she replied, then turned to Finn, "You ok?"

"Yea, just some bruising really, mainly my pride," Finn answered, rotating his shoulders to bring the feeling back, then he paused, as something Piper had said came back to him, "Wait... Cyclonis... as in... THE Master Cyclonis?"

Starling sighed, then levelled a stare at Piper, "We'll talk about this later," she grumbled as Piper looked away sheepishly. "No, not yet, I'm her eldest granddaughter, Starling," she then gestured to Lark, "And this is my sister Lark."

"According to you," Lark muttered in response, though the words weren't quite so, combative as they had been

Dove leaned over to Finn, "She is suffering amnesia, my names Dove by the way," she stated with a happy smile

Finn smiled back, "Pleased to meet you," then something else twigged in his brain, "Wait, you said reward... and bounty earlier... and you two are both called Cyclonis," he now turned to Piper, his face looking crestfallen, "So everything they've said about you on the news is true, you joined the Cyclonian rebels?"

Piper sighed, "Finn, it's a long story, one we don't have the time or luxury to explain now, the condensed version is this," Piper began, and seeing that Finn was listening – a rare occurrence for him – continued. "Lark was kidnapped by Long Feng about nine years ago, he took her back to his lab on Atmosia where he tortured and experimented on her," Piper noticed Lark wince at the mere mention of the events, so she quickly moved on, "Starling started up a plan to rescue her, but it took time to prepare, finally after nine years of work, she and her team were ready, at about that time, I was in my fifth year at the Academy and had already gotten onto good terms with Starling, she asked for my help, which at first, I refused to give."

Finn frowned, perplexed, "That doesn't sound like you?"

Piper shook her head, ashamed, "No it wasn't at all like me, but I was scared... not as scared as I was after meeting Long Feng himself though, and with Starling's information about him still running rampant through my head, I was able to see past the achievements, past the facade, and see the man beneath... and he terrified me."

"Didn't help that Long Feng was probably going to do to Piper what he'd done to Lark," Starling put in

Finn gained a disgusted look at that, "So what did you do?"

"I followed after Starling and her Cyclonian friends, Dove here, along with another friend from the Academy followed after me. Long story short, we helped Starling get her sister out, and even met two new friends along the way and got ourselves a ship," Piper paused here and glanced to Starling, who sighed before nodding, "Now we're trying to find the resistance and get back to them, it's the only place we'll be truly safe, and once we've found them, we can start trying to find a plan to stop Long Feng's plans and expose him _and_ the Senate as the monsters they are."

Finn stared in shock at Piper, then his face became thoughtful, before he closed his eyes and took a breath, "Thank Atmos."

Piper raised an eyebrow here, "What do you mean by that?"

Finn leaned against the alley wall, "The news has been making you, _all_ of you, to be some sort of mass murderers, a bunch of unstable youths who freed some dangerous if young convicts. The security forces have had to take your parents into protective custody for their own safety Piper; otherwise, people would have lynched them right in the street, just because of you."

Piper felt her world get ripped out from under her, "Their alright though, right?" Piper pleaded desperately

Finn looked away, "Last I heard, they were in an ALF safe house on the other side of the Terra, I went over there once, got a ten minute visit, their being well treated, but beyond that I can't say."

Piper's knees began to shake, and she had to lean against the alley wall for support, Dove quickly came to her aid. Piper had known this would happen, had known her family would pay the price for her choice, but it was one thing to know it was _going_ to happen, another altogether to hear it actually _had_

Then something Finn had said piqued Starling's curiosity, "You said we're being called _mass murderers_ , care to elaborate?"

Finn held up his hands placatingly, "Heh, I didn't believe it, neither did a lot of people who knew Piper personally."

"I didn't ask what _you_ believed, I asked you what the _news_ is telling you to believe," Starling replied, sternly, her eyes hard

Finn sighed, "Just this morning, a news report came in about a band of Murk Raiders found slaughtered on some un-named Terra not far from here, a Cyclonian transport shuttle was also found on the Terra, a pile of burned Murk Raiders nearby, and about half a dozen fresh graves," he said

All four girls started, "Wait, a group of Murk Raiders _besides_ the ones on the funeral pyre!?" Lark exclaimed

Finn frowned, "Yea, you didn't know about them?"

"We ran into the main group shortly after _leaving_ that Terra, everyone aboard the shuttle, besides the pilot, was already dead when we got to it," Dove began

"We disabled their ship, and unseated and injured about half a dozen Murk Raiders from their skimmers, but that was it, the moment we knew we could get away we made a break for it," Piper completed

Finn's frown deepened, "Then you don't know about Captain Scabulous?" he half asked, half stated

The looks on the girl's faces was answer enough. Finn quickly pulled out his phone – a new model if Piper had to guess – and quickly brought up the latest headline, it read

" _ **CAPTAIN SCABULOUS DEAD, THE BLOOD CROW DESTROYED"**_

The eyes of all four girls widened in shock as Finn began scrolling through images of destruction and death

"What is this?" Starling breathed

Three pairs of eyes turned to Lark, "Heh, don't look at me, I'm pretty sure I don't – or even _can_ – 'sleep fly'," she shot back at the looks

"If it wasn't Lark..." Starling began, once again examining the images, "Then this is bad."

Piper, Dove and Lark exchanged confused looks, "What do you mean Starling?" Dove asked

Starling straightened herself up to her full height, she then took a breath, before turning to look at them, "We have a tail, someone sent by Long Feng to capture us, and they don't want the Senate getting in the way," she stated

Piper frowned, "That doesn't make sense, why would Long Feng, _deliberately_ hinder our capture?"

"Because he doesn't want to share," this from Lark, who now had a dark look covering her features

Starling nodded, "Correct, if the Senate capture us, Long Feng has to _convince_ them, to hand us over to him, something they're not inclined to do after we made a mess of his facility," she explained, "But if Long Feng's _own_ agents capture us, _without_ aid from bounty hunters or ALF, he can just whisk us away to wherever he likes, and the Senate wouldn't be able to do a thing about it."

Silence settled over the group as this sank in, then Starling spoke again, "This is a race, first to their respective finish wins."

"And in the meantime, we're taking the rap for these agent's wholesale slaughter, making it more difficult for us to move through Atmos without alerting someone," Lark added

Starling nodded, then turned to Finn, "Anymore bad news for us?"

Finn rubbed the back of his head nervously, "Well there's a rumour going round that you took out three ALF cruisers as well," he said

"THREE!" Piper cried

"More like one and a half," Lark muttered

"Erm?" Finn responded confused

"Long story," Starling replied, "Let's just say for now, Lark was under a lot of stress, and circumstances pushed her too far," Starling said, then frowned, "But out of curiosity, where did _three_ come from?"

Finn shrugged here, "Don't know, all I know is that the tower lost communication with a heavily damaged cruiser and its sentinel cruiser sometime last night, they'd also reported losing a cruiser two days ago. The press ran with it and decided it must have been you guys."

Starling gave a tired sigh, "Of course they did," she then looked up at the sky, and saw that the light of day, was turning to the orange dim of sunset. "We need to get back to our ship," she stated turning to the others, then glanced at Finn, "Thanks for the info, and again, sorry about earlier."

Finn waved her off, "Don't mention it, not the first time a chica has put me in the hurt locker, am I right Piper?" he said, waggling his eyebrows, causing Piper to groan

"Sometimes I don't know how I was able to stand you all these years," she replied, to which Finn just chuckled, then remembered something

"Oh yea, I forgot to show you this," he quickly whipped out the pamphlet from his belt

"No, way," Piper breathed, parroting the same words Finn had first said when they met

On the pamphlet, was Finn, guitar and all, on an official Rock Cafe pamphlet, surrounded by a cheering crowd

Finn chuckled, "Now what was that bet we made five years ago... oh yea, I remember," Finn said, a sly smile on his face

Piper's eyes widened, then gained a panicked look, "Not now Finn," she hissed through gritted teeth

"Come on, just a little one, on the cheek," Finn returned smugly

Dove and Starling had both gone red, and quickly turned away

"Not getting involved," Starling stated

"Idem," Dove agreed

Lark looked at them confused, "What are you talking about?" she asked, before Starling quickly grabbed her and pulled her a short ways with them, "Heh Starling, just tell me what's going on!"

"Guys, don't leave me!" Piper exclaimed, turning after them, until Finn cleared his throat

"To the victor, go the spoils," he said cockily

Piper rounded on him; fists clenched as she glared at him, Finn just returned her glare with a smug grin. "Ugh fine, a small one, on the cheek," she agreed

Finn smiled triumphantly, and turned his cheek to face Piper, who quickly leant in and gave it a quick peck

"Now was that so har- ow, ow, Piper that hurts!" Finn cried, as Piper grabbed hold of his ear

"Don't play dumb with me, we both know you only committed yourself to becoming a rock star so you'd win the bet," Piper said icily

"Okay, okay yes, yes, just let me go, please Piper," Finn pleaded, which Piper promptly did

As Finn recovered and Piper picked up her things, he held out the pamphlet, "In all seriousness though, it might have started like that, but I _really_ started to enjoy it, the only other thing I still enjoyed more were our target practice contests," Finn stated, "I got really good Piper, and I'd be honoured if you came by the cafe to hear a performance."

Piper now looked at Finn seriously for the first time since they reunited. Despite still retaining the goofy look and attitude, he did seem to have matured some since they were kids. Sighing, she took the pamphlet, "I'll think about it, but it might be a while before I enjoy a performance," she replied

Finn just nodded, smiling as he did so, "So... see you round I guess?"

Piper nodded, "Hopefully... take care of yourself Finn."

With that, Piper turned to leave and catch up with the others. Finn watched them go, before leaving himself, in the opposite direction, and feeling... like he was going the wrong way

As Piper caught up with the others, Starling opened her mouth to speak, but Piper beat her to the punch, "If I hear _one_ boyfriend comment, I'm going to smack whoever said it in the mouth," she growled

Starling's mouth quickly snapped shut; unfortunately, Lark was still confused, "What's a _boyfriend_?"

There was a moment of silence, before three girls broke into hysterics, leaving the fourth, even more confused than before

"Seriously!" Lark exclaimed

Starling, doing her best to reign in her laughter replied, "We'll tell you when you're older," before bursting into a fit of hysterics again with the others, while Lark just glared at them, not amused

* * *

 _ **That night - The Condor**_

After returning to the _Condor_ , the girls shared what they'd learned with the boys. All three of them were upset to hear about the rap they were taking – even if it was Scabulous and his Murk Raiders they were being blamed for killing – though they were more worried about the unknown group tracking them

"That bastard captain didn't deserve to go out like that," Aerrow had growled, to everyone's surprise

In response to their surprise he had continued, "A Skyknight doesn't seek revenge, I've moved passed it guys, it'll never fully heal, and I'll never forgive Scabulous, that doesn't mean I wanted him dead."

Stork also voiced concern over Finn, "Are you sure we can trust your friend Piper, I mean, if he squeals..."

Piper's response had been logical, "He doesn't know where we are, and he's not expecting to see us again, it was a chance meeting that isn't likely to be repeated, so we're in no danger," she paused here as she took a breath, "And yes, I trust him... he might be an idiot sometimes, but he's also loyal, and devoted to his friends, he won't give us up, not even if his life depended on it."

Other than this, their talk had mainly revolved around the supplies they needed. Lark and Piper had spotted a good looking Crystal store that would likely hold some useful items for them, Dove and Starling meanwhile would handle food and fuel, having stopped by some depots that supplied ships

"All we need to do is scrounge a licence, and we're set," Starling stated

The guys had fared well during their browsing of the dealers too

"We got some choice parts which Stork's going to install tomorrow," Aerrow said

"And I spotted some cannons that we might be able to trade for our own to discount the price, with that licence of course," Junko added

Piper leaned forward here, "That means we'll need a licence for a combat ship, only two types of ships have those, military and bounty hunters, both of which are people we want to avoid."

Starling nodded, then turned to the boys, "What about the water?"

The boy's faces fell, "No go," Aerrow said

"Why?" Dove asked

Stork stepped up here, "Because all the pumps are under 24 hour watch by ALF, that's why."

"And the pipes go straight down, there's nowhere we could tap in without being spotted," Junko added

Starling swore, "They might not know we're here, but their playing it smart, they know we'll have to get water eventually, so their placing all nearby clean sources under guard... clever bastards," she growled

Lark looked between Starling and the others, "So... what do we do?"

Stork straightened up here, "Well, we were able to siphon some smaller water sources, not enough to fill our tank, and we had to spread out our capture area to make sure the discrepancies aren't noticed... so we have enough for... two days," he said, performing some calculations on his fingers as he did

"That buys us time," Starling stated, "We may have to think about getting water another way, perhaps even rig up something to catch rain water.

"Sorry to burst your bubble Starling, but there's a reason that Terra Mesa relies on its reservoir for like a third of its economy," Piper cut in, causing all eyes to move to her, "Terra Mesa has only _two_ seasons, a long, hot dry season, where the only surface water on the Terra can be found near the edge in small quantities. Interrupted by a short violent wet season, where the Terra gets soaked, but it only lasts for a max of about a month, and the water that collects on the Terra, quickly dries up, or gets used up after the rains are over."

Starling groaned as she replied, "Let me guess, we're in the middle of the dry season."

"Worse, we just missed the wet season, why do you think everything looks so green on the surface," Piper answered

Aerrow shook his head, "That leaves us no choice, we either steal some water from the pumps, or we look elsewhere, we don't have enough water or money to last until next year, not to mention those Agents could come here at some point, and we need to be gone when they do."

Starling sat in silent thought for a moment, then she noticed that Piper still had the pamphlet Finn gave her. "Piper... how high end is Finn's venue?"

Piper frowned confused, "What does that have to do with water?"

Starling smiled here, "It's a _Rock_ Cafe yes?" Piper just nodded, "That means they serve drinks, correct me if I'm wrong, but standard Atmos health regulations state that all alcohol served in regions with hot climates _must_ be watered down in order to provide adequate hydration, yes?"

Piper blinked, still not understanding what Starling was getting at, then the penny dropped, with a _clang_ , and a slow, mischievous smile spread across her face. "Why Starling, that's positively _evil_ , and wouldn't you know it, Finn _loves_ pranks."

Everyone else looked between the two, still not getting it. Starling continued speaking before anyone else could, "It seems Finn just unwittingly gave us the solution to our problem, we can snag a licence for our fuel and cannon upgrades, _and_ get ourselves a way to tap into Mesa's water supply, all from _one_ location."

* * *

 _ **The Next Day**_

Finn hadn't ever really been a morning person, but becoming the main guitarist at Mesa's signature Rock Cafe meant his daily timetable was a lot more full, when he wasn't performing shows with the other musicians – either as a group or solo – he was either practicing, or tuning his guitar

This meant Finn had to be up, if not _with_ the dawn, then at least not long after it, which is what lead him to be walking down Main Street towards a local music studio where he rented out a room for practice at 9:00 am

His journey was interrupted however, when a Wallop stepped into his path, arms crossed, and a sly grin on his face

"Err, can I help you?" Finn asked confused, he didn't know this Wallop; at least he didn't think so, the cloak and hood made it hard to discern facial features

The Wallop's grin simply widened as he nodded off to the side. Finn followed where he indicated, bringing his gaze to a nearby alleyway, where another cloaked and hooded figure stood, the figure pulled the hood back slightly, to reveal Piper

Finn stifled a gasp so as not to draw attention, with the way things were now, the last thing Piper wanted was to be spotted by someone who might turn her in. The Wallop nodded again towards Piper, Finn got the message, and made his way over

Once he reached Piper, who had pulled her hood back to its original position, he opened his mouth to speak. Piper beat him to it though, "Not here Finn, just follow me."

Confused, both as to _what_ Piper wanted, and _why_ they were meeting again only a day after a short reunion, Finn followed, the Wallop taking up the rear

After walking a short ways down the alley and turning a corner, they found themselves in a back space between two rows of buildings. Doors, now unused, marked each separate building, but it was the people gathered in the centre that really got Finn's attention

He instantly recognized the two Cyclonis sisters and Dove, but there was also a red haired guy around his own age standing with them, but what made Finn curious, was they all seemed to be waiting for him

Starling smiled as she saw the three of them approach, "Hello again Finn, sorry for dragging you away like this, but we need to ask a favour."

Intrigued, Finn stepped forward, "I was just heading off to practice, nothing I need to show up on time for, what can I do for you?" he replied

Starling nodded, then got straight to business, "We need a licence, one that clears us for ship weapons, in order to acquire the supplies we need, and we were wondering... what kind of patrons you get at your Cafe?"

Finn shrugged, "All sorts really, it's not a posh place by any means, but it's not some run down bar either, if you've got money and you at least _look_ decent you're in," he answered

The red haired guy now spoke up, "What about mercenaries, bounty hunters, that sort of thing, or even military officers?"

Finn thought for a moment, "Well, ever since you're posters have gone up, there has been a large influx of bounty hunters, but there's only one group that visits the Cafe, the manager is kinda annoyed they do as well and he's made complaints to ALF but nothing's been done about it," Finn replied

"Who exactly?" Piper asked curious

Finn sighed here, "Raptors, specifically, Repton and his boys."

"Merde, that is all we need, the guy is a psychopathe," Dove swore

"No argument there," Starling agreed, then sighed, "But we don't have a choice, if we really do have a tail, we need to be gone from here tout suite."

Dove blinked at Starling, who simply smiled, "I'm picking up the odd word here and there listening to you all the time," she stated, causing Dove to blush

"How many words, because some of them were a little..." Dove trailed off, her cheeks getting redder

Everyone got a laugh out of that, except Finn of course, "Yea yea, leave me out of your little inside jokes why don't you."

Starling shook her head, getting her laughter under control before turning to Finn, "Sorry," she apologised, "Anyway, despite _who_ it is, we don't have much choice, as I said, we can't afford to go looking for anyone else." Starling then paused, collecting her thoughts, "Does Repton stop by the Cafe _every_ evening?"

Finn nodded, "Yea, mostly by himself, he only brings the boys along if he thinks they've earned it, he'll order a drink and sit down by himself."

"And he has a ship?" the Wallop asked

Finn snorted, "If you could call it a ship, it's a transport platform really, his weapon licence is mainly for their skimmers, but since all weapon licences are universal, it really wouldn't matter what kind of weapon you're buying with it, unless it's something super-crazy powerful."

"Then Repton will do, he'll likely have the licence on his person at all times, something important like that is not something he wants to lose, he'll look after it personally," Starling stated

"All we're going to need from you tonight Finn, is a distraction, think you can pull that off?" Piper asked

Finn chuckled, "Sure, anything to get that lousy Raptor to leave, he's a terrible tipper, and he eyes all the waitresses like their pieces of meat, guy makes me sick."

"Well aren't you the chivalrous one," Lark said

"Don't be fooled Lark, Finn's a skirt chaser too," Piper replied dryly

"Heh, at least I don't look at girls like Repton does, wait till you see, it'll put a chill up your spine," Finn retorted hotly

Starling snapped her fingers to get everyone's attention, "Can we focus here people, thank you," she said snappily before turning to Finn. "There is one other thing, you may not like it as we're basically going to be temporarily harming the place where you work," she continued

Finn raised an eyebrow here, giving her a quizzical look. Starling continued, "We need water, and obviously we can't go to the pumps, and we can't tap in to the pumps supply pipes because they go straight down to the reservoir so there's no easy way to access them."

Finn nodded at this, this was information he already knew, "Yea, they upgraded the system bout a year after Piper left, straight shafts going straight down, only completed them last month."

Starling nodded, "We gathered... but, there are pipes that can be connected to the pump systems during an emergency – like a water shortage – that run along the surface," she stated

Finn frowned, as he processed what she had just said, then his eyes widened as realisation dawned, "Wait... you want to drain the water from the Cafe's tanks to force them to get more from the pumps, then tap in as the water's going through?"

Starling nodded, "Precisely."

"We need that water Finn, if we don't get it here, we have to go searching elsewhere, and we won't have a lot of time to do that," Piper explained

Finn stared at them shocked, on the one hand, he got it, they needed water, and it wasn't like they were going to deprive the Cafe of it completely, they were just going to siphon some to fill up their ship's tanks. On the other hand however, it would mean deliberately sabotaging his place of employment to help a group of rebels

He took a step back, rubbing his head nervously, "I don't know Piper, I mean, stealing from a no good bounty hunter like Repton is one thing, but my manager is a nice guy and if he finds out I..." Finn trailed off

Starling sighed, "We understand Finn, we're not going to force you to do this if you don't want to, we'll find another way." Starling glared down the incredulous looks the others gave her

Then surprisingly, Finn spoke, "Look I want to help, I do, Piper is my best friend... my only friend, and I can tell the lot of you are tight already, so I know your all good people," Finn said, "But I just don't feel comfortable stealing from my manager."

Dove suddenly blinked, as an idea came to mind, "Maybe there is a way we could do this," she said, a smile slowly forming on her face

"Come again?" Finn asked

Dove now walked up to Finn, her eyes half-lidded, her hips swaying slightly, causing the cloak to swish to and fro about her, Finn was transfixed in an instant, in the background, Piper rolled her eyes

"You said you were not comfortable with stealing right?" Dove asked, to which Finn just nodded, not taking his eyes off Dove or daring to speak, lest he wake up from whatever dream he'd walked into. "So we will pay for the water, anonymously, and even compensate for any damages that were incurred in the process of getting the water," she explained, still keeping the look she had cultivated, her voice low and seductive

"And if you help us pull it off, I might even reward you with a kiss, not a little peck on the cheek either, but a proper kiss," Dove finished, as she stood directly in front of Finn, and laced her arms around his neck, bringing her lips within ghosting distance of his

Behind her, Piper stared incredulously at Dove, "The little-" she didn't get to finish that breathed expletive, as Starling elbowed her to shut her up

Aerrow and Junko simply smirked, while Lark was still looking terribly confused as to what was going on

Finn gulped, you could just see the gears turning in his head as he thought this idea through, weighing all the pros and cons. Finally, he spoke, his voice slightly higher pitched than before, "You'll pay my manager for the water you take?" Dove nodded, her seductive smile still plastered across her face, "And compensate for any damages to the pipe system?" another nod

Finn took a deep breath, then finally answered, "Okay, I'll do it."

"Fantastique!" Dove exclaimed, before giving Finn a quick peck on both cheeks, before backing away smiling from a stunned Finn, "That is just a small sample of your reward should this work out mon heros," she said smiling as she detached from him

Finn just stared dumbfounded into space, until Starling grabbed his attention again by snapping her fingers in front of his face

"So," she began, "We can count on your support then can we?" she asked

Finn nodded, "Alright then, we'll need to hit the water first, we want to make the loss of water look like an accident or unforeseen circumstance, that will assuage suspicion somewhat," Starling stated. "Unfortunately, that will also mean it will take time for the Cafe to notice something is wrong with their water."

She now turned to Finn, "What's the best way to go about that?"

Finn had to shake himself to get the image of a seductive Dove out of his head before replying. "Well, the tank is kept round the back of the Cafe, behind a locked gate, you'll need the keys to get to it, I can handle that. Once you're in, your best bet would be to make it look like a part of the tank was shoddy and had failed under the strain of holding the water, on the underside would be best, as not only will that drain the tank faster, but it will also look more like a design flaw than sabotage, so long as you cover your tracks," Finn said

"Sounds like a plan," Aerrow commented, "Between draining the tank and the repair work, they'll start refilling just before their business hours start."

"Which gives us plenty of time to prepare a siphon, _and_ scope out Repton's ship while we're waiting, heck, while we're at it, we could see if we can pinch any of Repton's funds, makes it harder for him to chase after us, and gives us a means to pay for the water and damages," Piper stated

Starling nodded in approval, "Sounds like a mission team, let's snap to, first things first, those keys," she turned to Finn at this, "Lead the way Maestro."

* * *

 **Don't go anywhere, Part 3 is right around the corner ; P**

 **French translations**

 **Mon Cheri = Honey  
**

 **Affreux = Horrid  
**

 **Idem = Ditto  
**

 **Merde = S(not safe for little Larks ; P )  
**

 **Psychopathe = Psychopath  
**

 **Tout suite = Right now (Thought I'd spice things up a bit ; P )  
**

 **Fantastique = Fantastic (Yes I know, I've used these before, but heh, if it ain't Baroque, don't fix it ; P )  
**

 **Mon Heros = My Hero  
**

 **Let me know what you guys think in your reviews, as always constructive criticism is welcome, and I'll see you all next time ; )**

 **(And now a word from our sponsors)**


	12. Chp11: Terra Mesa Part 3

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters, locations, equipment etc used in this story, it exists purely because I want it to**

 **WARNING: This Story contain themes of violence, torture, segregation, slavery and death (not necessarily in that order). Graphic content has been kept to a minimum to avoid M rating, even so, viewer discretion is advised**

 **(And now we return you to... The Storm and the Hawk)**

 **HELLO! we're back, but since I've already talked about these two chapters last time, lets just jump straight in**

 **As for the chapter songs, one is written into the chapter itself and is specific for the scene it's in, but the main song Ladies and Gentlemen, is none other than the remix version of _Immortals_ made for the credits for the Disney movie, _Big Hero Six_ , and originally made by _Fall Out Boy_ , enjoy**

 **Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, Dear Readers all, welcome back to... The Storm and the Hawk**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 11: Terra Mesa Part 3**_

 _ **The Condor**_

Stork was busy working, installing the upgrades they'd got yesterday, busily humming away to himself while he worked

He was so preoccupied, he failed to notice a small shadow careful make its way up the ramp into the ship, the caster of the shadow glanced at Stork as he worked, then proceeded deeper into the ship, a hungry belly rumbling for food

Stork saw a flash of blue out the corner of his eye; he stopped what he was doing and looked around, all he saw was the empty hanger. He shrugged, and continued working

* * *

 _ **Terra Mesa Rock Cafe**_

Finn took a calming breath as he walked into the Cafe's employee entrance, justification and promises aside, he was still feeling guilty about what he was about to do. Not so much for Repton, but his manager... yes, very guilty

So deep into his own thoughts he wasn't aware of someone calling his name, until that person was standing in front of him. Finn looked up to see his manager Carl, eyebrow raised

"Finn, your here early, _really_ early, it's only 9:30am, shouldn't you be at practice right now?" Carl asked

Finn panicked internally, he'd spent so much time worrying about _what_ he was doing, he hadn't actually thought about _how_ he would pull it off

"Erm... I was on my way to practice, when I found out I didn't have my guitar pick, can't really play without it so..." Finn trailed off as he rubbed the back of his head nervously. Carl's eyebrow rose higher

"I thought about where I might have lost it, so since I was close by, I decided to have a look round the Cafe, see if I dropped it anywhere," Finn continued, hoping his explanation sounded convincing

Carl was silent a moment, then replied, "Can't you just use another one, this is a _Rock_ Cafe, we've got no shortage of them, and surely the studio you practice at has them?"

Finn would have panicked again, had a memory not come to mind while he'd been talking about his guitar pick. "Well yes, but you see, the thing is, _my_ pick is sentimental... my granddad gave it to me, he was a musician and the only person to _really_ support me wanting to be a guitarist," Finn explained

Carl's eyes softened instantly, he was well aware that Finn's granddad had passed away not long ago, so this information made things more serious

"Oh, of course Finn, I'm sorry, please, have a look around, if you need any help, let me know," Carl said

Finn nodded, "I will, and thanks Carl." With that Finn made for the employee lounge, which was next to Carl's office, where he'd find the keys for the water tank gate

 _I'm sorry Carl, but Piper's a close friend, and I promise to make it up to you_

Just outside the Cafe Piper, Lark and Aerrow waited for Finn. They'd all heard the exchange, thanks to the ear bud radio that Finn was wearing

The two of them looked to Piper, who had a mournful expression across her features, "It hurts more because it's the truth," Piper said to their silent question, "Even I treated his obsession with music as something of a joke, Finn had heart, but he couldn't hit a note – _any_ – note, no matter how hard he tried."

Piper went quiet for several moments, before taking a breath, "His granddad passed away a couple months before I left for the Academy, he'd be proud of Finn achieving his dream, he must have put a ton of work into it to actually get hired as a professional musician."

The others didn't speak for several moments, then Lark spoke up in a quiet voice, "Think we have time to catch a performance while we're here?"

Piper and Aerrow both blinked as they looked at Lark, who blushed and looked away, "I've never actually heard any music before," she said sheepishly

Piper and Aerrow now both smiled, "We do still need to nab Repton's licence, so we can catch Finn's performance then, at least for now," Aerrow replied

All three smiled at that, then concentrated again on the task at hand

* * *

 _ **Terra Mesa Dockyard**_

Starling carefully moved between the ships, being careful to look inconspicuous, not easy to do when you had to cover your face to prevent people recognising you from your wanted posters

Somehow, Starling made it to where the _Claw_ was docked. Finn had been right, the ship was little more than a floating platform designed to move their Skimmers from Terra to Terra. The only enclosed space, was Repton's cabin itself

Literally, that's all it was, a cabin constructed directly onto the deck, the rest of the ship was simply a platform that could be covered with a giant gazebo for shelter from the elements, and four ramshackle cannons on each corner

Heck the only reason the Raptors didn't fly everywhere they went on their skimmers was because crystal fuel was expensive, all thanks to the Senate squeezing everything they could out of the Terra's. Without this platform, their crystal fuel expenditure would skyrocket, as it would only take a couple trips between even _close_ Terra's to empty a skimmer's tank, and the Raptors had _four_ skimmers

In contrast, the _Claw_ could go for longer without refuelling, making it a far more efficient and cost-effective means of getting around

In the middle of the platform, just in front of Repton's cabin, slept three Raptors. One was a skinny shrimp of a Raptor, another was bulkier, and had muscle's to speak of, but also a pot belly, the third was the largest and most overweight of the three

Suddenly, the door to the cabin burst open, and Repton strode out, Starling ducked her head back below the rim of the platform enough to go unseen, but just enough to see over. Repton was an intimidating figure, he had not an ounce of fat on him, just muscle, his scales gleamed in the morning sun, shiny and green, and his eyes held a cruelty and malevolence, but also a strength and determination, that was legendary among the great leaders of the Raptors of old

 _And look at what the Senate has turned them into, bounty hunters, scrabbling in the dirt for their next meal_ , Starling thought

"Get up you layabouts!" Repton snarled, "There's work to do, we need to do a sweep of the Terra, there's a possibility that those brats on the wanted posters might be here, so let's get to work, and nab ourselves our biggest pay day yet!"

The other Raptors quickly got to their feet, no one disobeyed Repton, they made a quick inspection of their skimmers, before mounting up, and taking to the skies

As they left, Starling emerged from hiding somewhat, "We're closer than you think Repton," she said to no one as she stared after the departing Raptors. Her eyes were then drawn to Repton's cabin, he had closed and locked the door before leaving, but Starling doubted it was anything she couldn't handle, "You don't mind if I take a look inside your cabin do you?" she asked the air

When there was no response she spoke again, "I'll take that as a no."

* * *

 _ **Terra Mesa Rock Cafe**_

Piper and the others were just starting to worry when Finn arrived, keys in hand, and a despondent look on his face. Piper took the keys from him, and handed them to Aerrow, "Take Lark and get started, I'll be right there." Aerrow nodded, and he and Lark made for the water tank

Piper then turned to Finn, "Finn, thank you for doing this, I know it can't have been easy, and I promise, we'll make it up to your manager." Finn just nodded silently

Piper then shuffled uncomfortably, "And you know, I never congratulated you yesterday." Finn blinked, and he finally looked up at Piper, "You know, for the whole 'becoming a guitarist', like your granddad said you would."

Finn looked away here, tears beginning to form in his eyes, "You don't have to do that, not after I made you go through with our bet."

Piper waved it off, "Forget the bet, you still achieved your dream, I can't even begin to imagine the amount of work you had to put in to do that... but I know that your granddad is proud of the dedication you've displayed."

Finn gave a small chuckle at that, "Thanks Piper, that means a lot," he said, smiling

About thirty minutes later, they were finished, and Finn had left the keys somewhere they would be found and believed they had just been misplaced. Finn then headed off to practice, while Piper Aerrow and Lark met up with Starling

"Well, we were right, Repton has already collected quite the nest egg which I relieved him of, if he follows the pattern that Finn gave us, he won't check it, _or_ the licence, until he gets back to his ship tonight," Starling stated

"Which means, all we have to do, is steal the licence from him without him noticing this evening, then we grab our supplies tomorrow, and then split, before Repton tears the whole Terra apart looking for us," she finished

Everyone else nodded, and then Lark took over, "We made a small hole near the base of the water tank for the Rock Cafe, when examined, it'll just look like wear and tear, and it'll drain the tank fast enough that they'll notice a problem about two hours before main business hours begin."

"Then let's get back to the _Condor_ and see how Junko and Dove have done on their end, then we just need to come up with a way to steal the licence from Repton," Piper said to nods from all, before they began making their way back

* * *

 _ **That night**_

Junko, Dove and Stork, had set themselves up along the main pipeline, their timing on Terra Mesa almost seemed like destiny. With the wet season just over, everyone's water tanks were full thanks to the overabundance of water

This meant that the pipelines that fed the settlement with water from the underground reservoir were currently inactive... except one. As predicted, the Cafe had noticed the low level of water in its tank about two hours before they were due to open for the evening business

After determining that the leak was not the Cafe's fault, the pump company had begun feeding them water. The three of them had been siphoning the feed for the entire duration, 10 huge 20 gallon drums loaded onto a trailer as Dove held a hose over the drums, transferring it to the next whenever the current drum was full

"We are almost there, just four more," Dove called

Stork gave a thumbs up, and got on the radio to Starling, "We're almost done on our end, how about you?"

"We're working on it," Came Starling's reply

* * *

Starling, Aerrow, Piper and Lark, had been seated in the Cafe for the better part of half an hour now, waiting for the perfect moment to strike and steal Repton's ship licence

The Raptor in question was, as Finn had said, sitting on his own, nursing a drink. The girls were disgusted to learn that Finn hadn't been joking about the looks Repton gave the waitresses, it wasn't _just_ the normal look of lust a man usually gives a woman, no, Repton actually looked like he wanted to rip the throat from the waitress serving him, and turn _her_ into his main course

"Does anyone have anything, because if I have to keep staring at that bastard for much longer, I may just lose it," Starling growled

Piper took a breath, "Trust me Starling, I know how you feel, but you have to remember our situation, it's not like we can just waltz up to him and beat him till he gives us the licence, that would attract far too much attention."

"Then what do we do?" Lark asked

Suddenly, the Cafe manager began speaking into a mike as the performer currently on stage, took their bow and applause, before leaving. "And that was Miss Gomez everyone, wasn't she a stunner," a fair amount of assent greeted the manager's words before he continued, "Now though, we have our very own local guitarist, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Finn!"

Aerrow suddenly got an idea as Finn walked on stage, greeted by a raucous applause, "Wait here," Aerrow said, as he quickly made his way to the side of the stage where the manager was standing. The girls saw him whisper something to the manager who simply nodded, before smiling

Confused, the girls stared at each other, as the manager followed after Finn, whispering something into his ear. "A request already," Finn said into his ear piece mike so everyone could hear, "Well who am I to deny my adoring fans."

"What are you doing?" Starling asked Aerrow as he came back to the table

Aerrow just smirked as he glanced towards Repton, "Piper's right, we can't take Repton in here, for multiple reasons," he then looked back towards the girls, "But if he was somewhere isolated, then we could take him, and deprive him of the licence."

The girls all now looked at one another, "And how is a special song request going to help us with that?" Lark asked

Aerrow glanced back at Repton, "Look at him, his only barely holding himself back, all we need to do, is make him lose control... and provide some bait."

"Bait?" Piper asked

Aerrow nodded, and then turned to Starling, "You're about the same age as the waitresses, right Starling?"

Starling's eyes grew wide, "Oh no, no, _no_ , _No_ , _**NO**_ -"

Five minutes later, Starling was dressed in a waitress uniform, her hair colour altered through the use of a Chroma crystal that Lark and Piper had picked up earlier during the day. "Aerrow, this had _better_ work," Starling growled

The waitress that Starling had swapped with was happy to let Starling take over serving Repton, and none of them blamed her. Just as they finished Starling's disguise, Finn's song started

(Skillet's Monster begins)

 _The secret side of_

 _Me_

 _I never let you see_

 _I keep it caged_

 _But I can't control_

 _It_

 _So stay away from_

 _Me the beast is ugly_

 _I feel the rage and_

 _I just can't hold it..._

 _It's scratchin on the walls_

 _In the closet, in the halls_

 _It comes awake_

 _And I can't_

 _Control it_

 _Hidin under the bed_

 _In my body, in my_

 _Head_

 _Why won't somebody_

 _Come and save me_

 _From this, make it end!_

As the chorus picked up, Starling made her way over to Repton's table, looking for the entire world, like just one of the other waitresses. Repton looked up at her approach, his pupils dilating some, before contracting, and bringing Starling into sharp focus

Starling didn't have to follow his gaze, to know he was examining every inch of her he could see, nor did she miss the literally _hungry_ look in his eyes

"Can I get you anything?" Starling asked, over the noise of Finn's stellar performance

Repton was at a loss for words for a handful of seconds, before raising his empty bottle, "Another of these sweetheart, and hurry back."

Starling nodded and quickly made her getaway, aware that the whole way to the kitchen door, Repton's eyes were on her the entire time

 _My secret side I keep_

 _Hid under lock and_

 _Key_

 _I keep it caged_

 _But I can't_

 _Control it_

 _Cause if I let him out_

 _He'll tear me up,_

 _Break me down_

 _Why won't somebody_

 _Come and save me_

 _From this, make it end!_

Starling entered through the doors that led to the kitchens just as the chorus picked up again, the doors had barely swung shut, when Repton was up and following her

 _I feel it deep within_

 _It's just beneath_

 _The skin_

 _I must confess_

 _That I feel like a_

 _Monster!_

 _I hate what I've become_

 _The nightmare's just_

 _Begun_

 _I must confess_

 _That I feel like a_

 _Monster!_

Repton spotted his little morsel heading for a door to the back of the Cafe

 _Perfect_

 _I feel it deep within_

 _It's just beneath_

 _The skin_

 _I must confess_

 _That I feel like a_

 _Monster!_

Repton followed Starling outside; he immediately spotted her by some drinks crates, looking through them now doubt for his drink, well, that wasn't really what Repton had in mind anymore

He snuck up behind her, his appetite already wetted by the pounding music still coming from the Cafe, and by the smell of his prey

 _I hate what I've become_

 _The nightmare's just_

 _Begun_

 _I must confess_

 _That I feel like a_

 _Monster!_

Just when he was directly behind her, she straightened up, as if she heard something, and turned around, her expression caught Repton off guard, he'd expected fear, or terror. Instead, she was smirking

"Hook, line and sinker," she sneered

Repton only had a second to comprehend her words, before Aerrow struck him from behind, snarling Repton stumbled, before rounding on the two of them, "You'll pay for that!"

 _I, I_

 _Feel like a monster_

 _I, I_

 _Feel like a monster_

Starling and Aerrow tag teamed their larger, stronger, and more aggressive opponent, skillfully dodging Repton's clumsy attacks, drink and rage, dulling his senses and causing him to over commit respectively

Even so, Repton was a more experienced fighter; he grabbed a hold of a nearby crate, and lobbed it at the two teenagers. Aerrow and Starling jumped out of the way in time, but the move left them exposed, and Repton seized his chance

Or he would have if he hadn't found himself floating in mid air, held aloft by a grinning pale girl with a red crystal in hand, who looked an awful lot like the waitress who first lured him out here

 _It's hidin in the dark_

 _It's teeth are razor_

 _Sharp_

 _There's no escape for_

 _Me_

 _It wants my soul, it_

 _Wants my heart_

 _No one can hear me_

 _Scream_

 _Maybe it's just a dream_

 _Maybe it's inside_

 _Of me_

 _Stop this monster_

The music from Finn's performance, effectively blocked out all noise of the confrontation, even as Lark began using the levitation crystal to fling Repton about like a rag doll. She was careful to pull her punches though

A corpse would attract too much attention from the authorities tomorrow, something they didn't need

With one final fling, Repton fetched up against the wall of the alley they were standing in, dazed and bruised, he was teetering on the brink of passing out, as he looked up at his third assailant

 _I feel it deep within_

 _It's just beneath_

 _The skin_

 _I must confess that I_

 _FEEL LIKE A_

 _MONSTER_

As Repton felt consciousness slipping away, he realised he had just been tricked by the very brats he was chasing. That and the feeling of someone rifling his pockets for something, followed by a comment of "Got it," before his world became darkness, and the end of the blasted song

 _I hate what I've become_

 _The Nightmare's just_

 _Begun_

 _I must confess_

 _That I feel like a_

 _Monster!_

 _I feel it deep within_

 _It's just beneath_

 _The skin_

 _I must confess_

 _That I feel like a_

 _Monster!_

 _I've gotta lose_

 _Control, he_

 _Something radical_

 _I must confess_

 _That I feel like a_

 _Monster!_

 _I, I_

 _Feel like a monster!_

 _I, I_

 _Feel like a monster!_

 _I, I_

 _Feel like a monster!_

 _I, I_

 _Feel like a monster!_

* * *

 _ **30 minutes later**_

Starling, Aerrow, Piper and Lark joined, Dove Stork and Junko out by their siphon set up, Starling held Repton's licence triumphantly, "We need to thank Aerrow and Finn for this, Aerrow's plan, Finn's stellar performance," she said, handing the licence to Stork

"Excellent, I can begin adapting this for our own use, once it's done, all we'll need is a believable story, money, and no one should give this a second glance," he stated

Dove jumped down from the trailer, having now finished filling the drums, "We are all good to go here too, mission accomplished."

"And if tomorrow goes smoothly, you owe Finn a kiss," Aerrow chuckled, causing Dove to go bright red

A yawn from Lark interrupted the celebratory mood, "That's great, but can we go back to the _Condor_ now, I need a rest after tossing that Raptor around."

Dove, Junko and Stork all blinked in surprise, Piper just rolled her eyes, "Long story, we'll tell you on the way back."

The others nodded, and with that, they all got aboard the trailer, with their 200 gallons of water, and one ship licence, with weapons clearance. Not bad for a day's work

* * *

 _ **The next morning**_

The whole gang was gathered in a breakfast cafe, coffees in hand, and food in their bellies, when Finn strode in. They'd agreed on this meeting point yesterday, and after everything Finn had done for them yesterday, they weren't about to bail on him

"So, mission accomplished?" Finn asked

"Almost, after we're done here, we're going to gather the supplies and equipment we need, using Repton's money of course, after all, it is _his_ licence," Starling answered

Everyone got a good chuckle out of that, "You should know Finn, me and Lark stopped by your Cafe on our way here," Piper began, Finn now gave her his full attention, "We paid for the damage to the water tank, told him we were practicing our 'recently' discovered Crystal Magecraft in secret and accidentally hit his water tank."

Finn looked surprised here, because that was technically a half truth, "And how did he take it?" Finn asked

"He was happy we paid him back for the damage, and cautioned us to be more careful in the future, and that we really should have a teacher for something dangerous like Crystal Magecraft, but ultimately, he let it slide, seeing as his business ran smoothly enough last night, and we owned up and apologised," Piper recounted

Finn frowned here, "He didn't suspect me at all?"

Piper shook her head while shrugging, "If he did, he didn't say anything about it, I guess you'll know when you next see him."

Finn nodded, then Starling spoke again, "We're grateful for everything you've done for us Finn, truly, but this is where we part ways, once we have what we need, we'll be leaving Terra Mesa, we've stayed too long as it is, if we really do have a tail, we can't afford to stay in one place too long."

"I get it," Finn replied, then glanced at Piper, "Just keep Piper safe, she's always been like a sister to me, I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to her."

Piper's cheeks darkened, but Starling kept a serious look on her face, "Don't worry, we'll look out for each other, the best thing you can do after we've gone, is forget you ever saw us, if Long Feng ever hears about this, and finds out you were connected..." Starling trailed off, unable to finish the sentence

Finn just nodded, "I get it, I'll be careful," he replied

With that, they said their goodbyes, as they all left, Finn again felt, like he should be following. He glanced at his guitar case, thoughts he never thought he'd have, swirling through his head

* * *

 _ **The Claw**_

"GET UP YOU LAZY BASTARDS!" Repton roared as he marched onto his ship, jolting his men awake

"Err what's up boss?" Horek asked

"And why do you look beat up?" Spitz added

Repton _rounded_ on him, "I look _beat up_ Spitz, because the brats we're chasing ambushed me last night, and _stole_ our ship licence, without it we won't be able to buy fuel, or ammo, or ANYTHING!"

"Err that's not all they took boss," came Leugey's voice as he carefully opened Repton's cabin door. Lying on the floor in the centre of the cabin, was an open chest, a chest that _had_ been filled with gold coins

Repton gained a look of pure _fury_ on his face, before letting out a roar that scared the birds from their morning perches

* * *

 _ **Terra Mesa – Main Street of the Settlement**_

Finn was heading over to the studio, when a sight that chilled his blood came marching from directly ahead of him

Finn quickly ducked underneath a nearby stall as Repton and his Raptors marched past. Repton paused for a moment just past the stall; Finn prayed he would go unnoticed

Then Repton continued onwards, towards the Dealers quarter

"Piper," Finn breathed

* * *

 _ **Terra Mesa – Cruiser Parts Dealer**_

With fuel and utility crystals purchased, all that was left were the cannons. However, upon reaching the dealer, they found the cannons had already been purchased by someone else. So instead, the dealer was taking them over to a garage, to see what he had traded the cannons for

The dealer opened the garage, to reveal two – almost new – skimmers. One was an Air Skimmer III EL, it was a variant of Aerrow's skimmer that sacrificed speed and manoeuvrability for missile attachments and armour, and it was also equipped with Nimbus 7 engines for stealth approaches

The second was a standard Air Skimmer III, which was a slightly lighter version of Aerrow's own skimmer, the Ultra. Like the EL, it had Nimbus 7 engines, and also had the interesting addition of a retractable crossbow built into the bow

All in all, they were very impressive rides, but Starling didn't want to trade their cannons for them, "How much would they cost straight up?" she asked

The dealer thought about it, "Hmm, well their not mint condition, but considering these are both fine vehicles, let's see... 100 Atmos' each."

Starling and the others gave the grinning dealer incredulous looks, a standard model skimmer fresh off the assembly line, was worth only a small margin less. As good as these rides were, and despite their customisation, the dealer was still ripping them off

Starling turned to the dealer with her arms folded, "Well I say their worth 80 Atmos' each and no more, I mean, come on, who trades away perfectly good rides for cannons, something smells rotten here."

The dealer put a hand to his heart, as though wounded, "Miss, you would take me for a common crook," at Starling's continued glare, the man raised his hands placatingly, "Feel free to inspect them yourself," he said, gesturing towards the bikes

Starling and Aerrow had just begun to move towards them, when a shout came from the front of the yard. Then, to the horror of everyone but the dealer, Repton emerged, flanked by his men; he spotted his prey, and made a beeline for them

"You have something that belongs to me!" he roared, weapon drawn

Starling and the others backed up towards the wall, while the dealer got out of the way, not wanting any part of this. Soon Repton and his men had the youngsters penned in against the back wall of the dealer

"Any ideas?" Starling hissed to Piper

"Working on it," Piper replied

Repton now stepped forward so he was standing directly in front of Starling; he smirked down at her, "Don't think I didn't recognise you last night... Starling Swiftflight."

Starling grimaced, now knowing why Repton was here, "It's a shame I won't get to kill you myself, I was quite looking forward to my own plans for you last night," he sneered, "But you stole money from me as well, and the only way you can pay me back with interest, is if I collect your bounty."

Small specks of lightning began to crackle around Lark, but Piper stopped her with a hand on hers, "Not here, even if we manage to get out of this, we need to leave as little trail for Long Feng's agents as possible, which means we can't expose your abilities."

Lark gritted her teeth in frustration, but she knew Piper was right, and powered down. If Repton had noticed their little exchange he didn't show it, instead, he simply began walking up and down the line they'd made against the wall

He stopped in front of Dove, who looked up at Repton in terror, and grabbed her chin, "Though I suppose I could forego _one_ bounty for a little snack on the way to Atmosia," he said, his forked tongue darting out to taste the air around Dove's face

Dove flinched, whimpering, Piper wracked her brain, trying to desperately think of a way out of this situation. Unfortunately, they had no weapons, they hadn't wanted to be discovered with them, and Piper and Lark had left their crystals aboard the _Condor_ , not thinking they'd need them

Now here they were, unarmed and defenceless against four Raptors

 _There has to be something_ , Piper thought, and then something behind the Raptors caught her eye; it was a collection of staves, crystal staves. Close by was a collection of other weapons, if they could just reach them

Suddenly, her eyes registered movement, she looked towards it, and saw Finn, hefting a crossbow, carefully from a pile of weapons, fitting a bolt to the weapon, and aiming at Repton. She nudged Starling, who noticed shortly afterward

"Oi, scale face, get back over here and pick on someone your own size!" Starling snapped

The outburst had the desired effect. Snarling, Repton returned to where Starling was standing, perfectly centred in the gap between his men, and in Finn's sightlines

"I sincerely hope the Senate sentences you to _my_ custody, I'll teach you some manners before you die!" he snarled before raising one clawed hand

Before he brought it down however, Finn finished lining up his shot, "Chica cha."

The bolt flew from the crossbow, the sound causing Repton to turn his head slightly towards the noise, his eyes widened at the sight of the bolt flying towards him. With a bang and a cry, Repton was flung against the wall between Starling and Aerrow, who didn't hesitate

Starling delivered a vicious uppercut to the Raptor's jaw, while Aerrow kicked out his legs, Repton collapsed to the floor

"Boss!" Horek shouted, him and the other Raptors stunned from the sudden attack

"Oh yea I' am so good," Finn yelled, the sound caused all three Raptors to turn around and face him, looking very angry, "Uh oh."

Starling was already moving however, racing towards Horek she stamped on his tail with her foot, causing him to let out a shriek of pain, before whirling round to face her. "Junko, Finn get Stork and Dove out of here, take the skimmers!" she shouted, as she began her fight with Horek

Neither of them argued, as they both raced for the skimmers, Stork and Dove being carried by Junko for sake of speed. There was a distant cry of protest from the dealer as they mounted the skimmers and fired up their engines

Leugey and Spitz attempted to stop them, but were intercepted by Aerrow, Piper and Lark. Aerrow was still unarmed, and so squared off against Spitz, being a similar size opponent, Piper and Lark however had both grabbed crystal staves from the nearby pile and faced off against Leugey

The staves may not have had crystals attached, but both girls knew how to fight with the weapons, against the waddling Leugey, it was no contest, as Leugey tried and failed to grab hold of them, while they just danced around him, striking him with their staves whenever an opportunity presented itself

Spitz lunged at Aerrow; both were fast and manoeuvrable fighters, so it was a fairly even fight. The same could not be said for Starling and Horek

Starling's combat training exceeded Horek, but he was the stronger and larger opponent, and Starling knew she wouldn't be able to dodge forever. Worse, Repton was getting to his feet, shaking off the attack he'd received and taking in the fight before him

Repton's recovery was noticed by Finn and Junko too, "We gotta do something to help them," Junko said

Finn nodded and began looking around, on a nearby self he saw a pair of strange looking knuckle dusters, they looked too heavy for Finn, but maybe. "Junko, grab those," Finn said, pointing towards the dusters

Junko looked to where Finn was pointing, and then back to Finn, who was smiling, "I got an idea."

Repton was making his way over to Starling and Horek, every step was surer and stronger, until finally he was almost upon Starling. He was about to lunge, when the sound of revving engines alerted him to danger

He turned to see Finn – Dove hanging on behind him – racing towards him on the Air Skimmer III, vehicle crossbow drawn, and fitted with bolts. Finn began firing, yelling as he did, the shots were wild though, and Repton easily dodged them, before Finn and Dove shot past towards the exit

"What was that, it's like you're not even _trying_ to hit me?" Repton sneered

"Exactly," Finn called back, "Just wanted to get you away from Starling!" Finn called back

Repton looked confused, until the sound of a second skimmer reached his ears. He turned around to see Junko racing towards him – Stork hanging on for dear life – Knuckle dusters equipped, and glowing as Junko uttered a Wallop roar before swinging as he passed

Repton went flying from the blow and collided with yet another wall, and this time slid to the bottom, out cold

"Thanks you two, now get back to the _Condor_ and get her airborne, we'll meet just outside the settlement!" Starling called, before refocusing on her fight with Horek. Junko and Finn nodded, and sped from the dealer and into the street, the sound of alarms and sirens already echoing over the settlement

Hearing the sirens, Piper and Lark knew they had to wrap this up quickly; they both looked towards each other, nodding as Leugey recovered from being landed on his backside for the half-dozenth time. Once he'd turned around, it was to the sight of the two Crystal Mages rushing him, charging energy blasts in their staves, before swinging up and into his jaw at the same time, the energy releasing, sending the Raptor flying towards the same wall as his boss

By sheer luck, Leugey landed directly on top of Repton, causing the lead Raptor to come round with an explosive gasp, but now be trapped underneath Leugey's mass. Piper and Lark now turned to Spitz, tapping him on the shoulder as he wound up for another attack against Aerrow

When the Raptor turned, Piper delivered a blow to his gut, winding him. Aerrow then rushed up and followed through with an uppercut, which sent the lightweight Raptor into the air a short ways. Lark then finished with a charged blast from her staff, which landed Spitz on top of Leugey

"Oh come on!" Repton growled

Now it was just Horek left, he desperately tried to get the upper hand on Starling, who just kept avoiding his attacks, knowing help was on the way. Aerrow then leapt into the fight, launching himself off a nearby platform and coming down on Horek to deliver a powerful downward strike

Starling then followed with a blow to Horek's guts, before Lark and Piper repeated their final attack on Leugey with Horek, finishing with a dual powered strike from their crystal staves. This sent Horek over to join his compatriots, and complete the Raptor pile up

With the fight over, the sound of approaching sirens was now very clear and getting closer. "That's our cue to leave," Starling stated, no one argued, as the four of them ran from the dealer, and disappeared down the nearest alley, just before half a dozen ALF skimmers arrived

* * *

 _ **Condor – Leaving Terra Mesa**_

The team met up just outside of the settlement, in plain sight of the patrolling cruisers, meaning they didn't stick around to say hello. The moment everyone was aboard, the _Condor_ rose into the air, and shot away from the Terra

Only once the Terra was to their rudder, did anyone relax. Starling sat at the table on the bridge, an exhausted breath escaping her. "Well, that could have gone better," she said despondently

Aerrow chuckled as he sat down next to her, "Could have gone a lot worse too, as is, we're fully stocked on food, fuel, and water," he listed

"We picked up some more crystals for the lab," Piper added

"And some new weapons," Lark completed, twirling her new staff experimentally, "Can't wait to try this out with some crystal attachments."

Starling rolled her eyes, "Okay yes, it could have been a lot worse-" she began, but got cut off by Junko

"We also picked up two new skimmers, meaning we have five now," he said

"Okay that too-" Starling started, only to be interrupted by Stork this time

"And okay, we didn't get new, more powerful cannons, but that upgrade I installed yesterday not only increased their shot efficiency, meaning we'll get more out of them with every charge, but I was also able to adjust their software with it as well in conjunction with that targeting program we set up while fighting the Murk Raiders. If we need, _both_ cannons can be operated by a single person right here at the controls," Stork informed, a smile on his face

"And let us not forget, we picked up a new crew member as well," Dove added, turning to Finn, who looked like he was in deep thought

"Atmos I forgot," Starling exclaimed, "Finn, if there's anywhere we can drop you off just say, we never meant to drag you into this."

Finn glanced at Starling, then looked out the window, at the clouds going by, then he took a breath and faced the rest of them. "Ever since I met you guys two days ago, every time we've parted, I've felt like I was going the wrong way, like I should be going with you," he made eye contact with each of them, "I don't really care for causes or anything, I couldn't care less if the Senate is in charge or not..." the final person he made eye contact with was Piper, "But I do care about my friends, and I'll do whatever I need to do to help them."

Piper smiled at that, as Finn turned his gaze back to Starling, "I let Piper leave on her own once before, and if it hadn't been for you, then judging by what you've told me, she'd have ended up in the clutches of a madman," Finn stated, "I'm not going to make the same mistake twice, so wherever this goes, whatever happens, I'm with you, till the end."

Starling now smiled, "Thank you Finn, that means more than you know," she said nodding

"Welcome to the crew Finn," Aerrow said, holding out his fist towards him

"No place I'd rather be," Finn replied bumping his fist to Aerrow's

Junko then clapped Finn heavily on the back, causing the air to get knocked out of him, "Great to have you... oh, sorry," Junko said, then noticed Finn's wheezing

"No problem," Finn wheezed back

"Looks like we found our Marksmen," Lark commented

"If Finn was good at one thing, it was hitting a bull's-eye," Piper chuckled

Stork just nodded approvingly, then looked on shocked with the rest of them as Dove launched herself at Finn, wrapping her arms around his neck, and planting her lips on his. When they separated, Finn had this dumbfounded look on his face

"Didn't actually think you were serious about that," he said quietly

Dove blushed as she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, "Why would I not be, mon heros," she said smiling

A goofy grin began spreading across Finn's face as Piper groaned, "Get a room you two."

The bridge burst into laughter at that, and echoed down the ventilation system, where it reached a small ball of blue fur, whose large ears pricked at the sound, before it raised its head towards the sound, a curious look on its furry features

* * *

 **And that's a wrap for now folks**

 **Additionally, I think I should mention the ages of our Heros  
**

 **Starling - 17**

 **Stork - 21**

 **Junko - 19**

 **Aerrow, Piper, Lark, Dove and Finn - 15 (post edit, forgot I mentioned Lark's age at the beginning, whoops)**

 **Probably should have done that a while ago, but hey, live and learn**

 **No need for French translations today, as there's only one instance of French this chapter, and it was covered last chapter, so I'll just refer you to that one**

 **Thank you all for reading, please don't forget to leave a review so I can see what you guys think and become a better writer to better entertain you guys**

 **As always constructive criticism is welcome, and I will see you all next time ; )**


	13. Chp12: Chase through the Condor!

****DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters, locations, equipment etc used in this story, it exists purely because I want it to****

 ** ** **WARNING: This Story contain themes of violence, torture, segregation, slavery and death (not necessarily in that order). Graphic content has been kept to a minimum to avoid M rating, even so, viewer discretion is advised******

 ** ** **IMPORTANT - READ FIRST!******

 _ **The Terra and its single dark tower were surrounded by dark storm clouds. The tower itself, had many metallic rods attached to it, pointing skywards, attached to these rods were long thick cables, that ran into the building to a room at its centre. The room was a lab, filled with all sorts of strange apparatus, but the crowning glory of the lab, was a large table, covered by a massive sheet. beneath the sheet, lay a large form, at the edges, a few black feathers could be seen.**_

 _ **As the storm above increased in intensity, a man in a white lab coat, wearing goggles with swirly lenses for eyes, approached a bank of controls. As the first lightning strikes, lit up the sky, the man pulled a lever, magnetizing the rods, and pulling the lightning to them. The electricity from the lightning traveled down the cables, raced towards the table, and under the sheet. The form beneath, twitched from the surge, but did not move. The man pulled the lever again, causing yet another surge of electricity, and another, larger twitch**_

 _ **Again and again, the lever was pulled, again and again, the power of the storm was fed into the form beneath the sheets, until it was almost a continuous stream. Then, the form began to shift, the sheet rose as the thing beneath it, lifted itself from the table. At the controls, the man began to cackle manically, "Its alive, MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"**_

 _ **The dark shape suddenly threw off the sheet, and a gigantic bird of prey was revealed, lighting coursing along its body, no longer being drawn in, but actually coming off it, being generated by the creature itself. With an almighty screech, the bird struck the ceiling with a storm of it's own lightning, causing the entire top half of the tower to explode outward, reuniting the creature with the storm above, as lightning filled the sky**_

 **(Stage goes black)**

 **(Stormhawk fan SHhype enters from stage right, looking... charred)**

 **(Cough) Note to self... wear Faraday suit... when next performing surgery... on _'The Storm and the Hawk'_ (coughs again, before collapsing to stage)** _ **  
**_

 **(Medics rush from stage right, and whisk Stormhawk fan SHhype off stage, Piper emerges as they leave)  
**

 **Er, hi there everyone, sorry about that, this chapter was a tough one to get sorted, Stormhawk fan should be fine, but we'll need to give him a chance to recover**

 **(Stormhawk fan's voice can be heard from off stage) Mommy he followed me home can I keep him**

 **(Piper winces) Yea, don't expect the next chapter for a bit... still, we got this one done, and just like Stormhawk fan I'm very pleased how this one turned out, despite the time this one took, it really came together well in the end, and we think you guys are gonna love it. This one is a bit more comical than previous chapters of this story, and we'll also be introducing the final member of the crew this chapter**

 **We all had a ton of fun with this one despite how much trouble it gave us... speaking of fun, we're also working on another project with Stormhawk fan. Its a Sci-Fi AU, where some of us get to have _actual_ wings... I'm not gonna lie, but that alone makes everything else about that story worth it. If you wanna check it out, the name of the story is _'Stellaris: Book 1: The Fledging'_ , its right here on the Storm Hawk's story listings, and it even recently got it's own cover image, courtesy of 'Mythorie'. Stormhawk fan will be putting up the dedication on that story during the next update for that one**

 **On an unrelated note, we are very pleased to announce that Stormhawk fan's first project 'Choices' broke the two thousand views mark some time in April just gone. 'The Storm and the Hawk' is about to break the two thousand mark as well, and 'An Atmosian Tale is close to breaking the one thousand mark. On behalf of all of us here at SHhype productions, I'd like to thank all you of, our faithful readers, it means so much to all of us that you give our projects such attention, and don't forget, views and reviews encourage more, so keep em both coming. Now without further ado-**

 **(A sudden crash comes from back stage, followed by an angry yell) Alright that's it you little fuzz ball come here!**

 **(Piper's eye twitches as the sounds of a commotion come from back stage) excuse me for a little moment (rushes quickly back stage as a recorded message takes over)**

 **Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, Dear Readers all, welcome back to... The Storm and the Hawk**

 **P.s. all underlined text is a character talking through a radio to the one holding it**

 **P.P.s this chapter is brought to you by the 'Benny Hill theme'**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 12: Chase through the Condor!**_

 _ **Un-named Terra: the next day**_

"Any sign of pursuit?" Starling asked as she took her Slip-Wing on a lazy circuit of the Terra they had stopped on

"Not that I can see," came Aerrow's reply, Starling looked over towards the other side of the Terra where she could make out the speck that was Aerrow's Skimmer

"Nothing on my side either," Finn stated

"Got nothing here?" Junko informed

"And the _Condor's_ scopes are clear, looks like we got clean away, " was Piper's optimistic reply

"Let's not celebrate just yet, we are still wanted criminals after all," Stork put in

"We haven't forgotten Stork, that's why we're here, this Terra is nice and out of the way, hopefully low on ALF's search priority, which gives us a few days to lay low while I try to crack the map's code," Starling said

She gazed once more at the skies around her, off in the distance were a number of smaller un-named Terras, a wild zone, off the beaten path that could give them some shelter, at least, that was the hope. They were still too close to Terra Mesa for Starling's comfort, but she needed peace and quiet to crack the code, if they were on the move, they ran the risk of running into something, which would more than likely, then require her attention

If they wanted to find the Resistance, they needed to crack that code as quickly as possible, which meant they had to hide

Starling took a breath, then spoke into her radio once more, "Ok, let's get back guys, we'll figure out a lookout shift and combine that with the proximity alarms, then we'll get settled, all agreed?"

"No argument here," Aerrow replied

"Ditto," Finn agreed

"Great, lunch time!" Junko exclaimed, his skimmer making all haste back to the _Condor_ to the chuckles of everyone else

Starling shook her head, an amused smile plastered over her face, before scanning the horizon one last time, then turning back towards the _Condor_

* * *

 _ **Two hours later**_

"Ok, who took my wrench from engineering?" Junko said as he walked into the kitchen, a stern look on his usually carefree face

All eyes turned to the head of blond hair tucking into a bowl of ice cream at the kitchen table, said blond head, looked back up at all of them when he noticed they were looking

"Hey don't look at me, I've been helping Piper 'Calibrate' the guns for the past two hours," Finn replied

Starling glanced at Piper, who just shrugged in response

"Where was the last place you left it Junko?" Aerrow asked

"On my worktable in engineering, where I always leave it," Junko replied

"Now that he mentions it, I did have a water bottle go missing from the Med-Bay as well, I could have sworn I put it down next to the cabinet, but when I turned around it was gone," Dove said

"People misplace things, I'm sure they'll turn up, probably be in the last place you expect as well," Lark stated, her focus staying on her sketch pad in front of her

Starling sat back in thought for a moment, before turning to Junko, "Keep an eye out for it, if it doesn't turn up within the next few days, we'll make sure to get a new one the next time we can."

Junko gave a sigh, before turning round and heading back to engineering

Lark went back to her sketching, as she did, Finn nudged Aerrow, "Does she ever put that thing down?"

Aerrow chuckled, "It helps her to relax, and trust us, a relaxed Lark is a good Lark," he replied

"You wouldn't like me when I'm angry," Lark commented with a smirk, while Piper beside her, rolled her eyes exasperatedly

* * *

 _ **The next morning**_

Piper and Lark woke bright and early to watch the sunrise together, as Piper had promised.

The two of them simply sat there, enjoying the sight of the world slowly waking up, the dew glistening in the trees and on the grass. Song birds filling the air with music, it was a beautiful scene

 _But none of it compares to her_ , Lark thought, as she glanced sideways at the girl who rescued her, who'd given her something to shield her from her nightmares – which hadn't so far returned since Piper gave her the drawing pad – who now sat next to her, the first rays of the sun setting her eyes a flame, and causing her hair to shine and shimmer

Piper noticed Lark staring at her, "What?"

Lark quickly snapped her eyes back to scene in front of them, a light blush spreading into her cheeks "Nothing," she replied, a little too quickly

Piper was confused slightly by that, but shook her head and thought nothing of it, also turning back to admire the view

Afterwards, Piper went to shower, while Lark went back to their room to grab her sketch pad, saying something about a new inspiration

Piper had only just reached the girls shower however, when a scream tore through the ship, instantly waking everyone

Piper, hurriedly ran down the hallways back to her and Lark's room, only to be greeted by a thunderous looking Lark coming the other way, holding a torn and shredded paper pad, that had some odd looking, suspicious stains on it

"I'm going to _fry_ whoever did this Piper, now get out of my way!" she screeched

Piper wisely stepped aside, but quickly raced after her, "Lark I'm not going to stop you, but will you please at least think about this before doing something rash, everyone knows what happens if they mess with your drawing pad," Piper pleaded

Lark slowed for a minute, then a stony glint sparked in her eyes, "Everyone but one," she growled, and immediately made for Junko and Finn's room

The two boys in question were already standing outside their room, Junko looked afraid, while Finn was just confused. When they saw Lark come steaming round the corner, Piper running desperately to catch up with her, their looks changed to terror

"Finn, get in the room, hurry!" Piper called

Still not knowing what was going on, but smart enough not to argue, Finn dashed back inside the room. Junko wisely took off down the other end of the corridor, towards where Stork, Aerrow and Dove had just appeared, rubbing the sleep from their eyes

"FINN! Get out here and take your volts like a man!" Lark yelled through the door, pounding on it as she did so

"How bout no?" Finn called back

"Finn, I swear, if you don't come out, I'm going to blow this door off its damn hinges, and I don't care if you're standing behind it or not!"

Piper could just imagine Finn paling behind the door, probably on the edge of fainting, she was about to jump in and stop this, when Starling intervened

"Whoa, okay that's enough, what's going on?" she said, walking straight up to Lark and Piper

Lark whirled towards her, holding up her ruined pad. Behind Starling, the others gasped in shock, "That little weasel _ruined_ my sketch pad, and everything I drew has been torn out and is missing, he has to suffer for it!" she yelled

"WHAT!? I didn't touch anything of hers, I've barely been here two days, and I've been kept busy helping out, when would I have gotten a chance too!?" Finn yelled from the other side of the door

"Everyone else knows not to mess with my drawing pad, you're the only one who didn't receive the memo, so if not you then who!?" Lark shot back

"Look, I like a good prank as much as the next guy, but even I know that this goes way beyond that, this is pure vandalism, I'd never deliberately trash someone's stuff, especially not a treasured possession," Finn replied

"He's right Lark," Piper said, causing Lark to turn towards her now, "Finn might be a little immature sometimes, but he's not a jerk, this is way beyond what he'd call 'Just a prank'." The others nodded in agreement, "And besides, Finn wasn't entirely in the dark about the pad, he did ask about it the other day."

More nods and murmurs of agreement followed this

Lark stared hard at Piper for several moments, the gears turning in her head. Then she deflated, the anger leaving her as she realised they were right, when she looked at Piper next, her face was a mask of confusion, "If not him, then who?" she asked

Piper put a reassuring hand on Lark's shoulder, "I don't know, but we'll find out, I promise."

Starling nodded in agreement, "Alright everyone, lets gather on the bridge," she then turned to the door, "It's safe to come out now Finn."

The door opened a crack, and Finn peeked out, he saw Lark standing in front of the door, tears in her eyes as she clutched the ruined pad tightly. "I know it wasn't my fault, but I'll get you a new one, I promise," he said, as he opened the door wider

Lark looked up at him, both surprised, and grateful, she smiled happily back and nodded her thanks, before everyone began moving to the bridge

* * *

"Alright people, what do we know?" Starling asked once everyone was seated

Stork held up the ruined pad for inspection, "Well, if I had to guess, I'd say we probably have an infestation of _Gorga Mites_ on board, probably picked them up from Terra Mesa, we'll have to have the whole ship sanitised if we want to stand any chance of _survival_."

"And terrifiant Stork is back, genial," Dove sighed

Junko took the pad from his neurotic partner, and gave it a sniff before recoiling, "Yep, something took a bathroom break on this," he stated, Lark shuddered at his words

Aerrow sat forward, "You mean we might have an animal on board?" he asked

Junko nodded, "It's common for most animals to find something that will be absorbent, if push comes to shove they'll let loose anywhere, but if they find what their looking for, they'll use it as a bathroom till it becomes un-useable," he answered

"Well that explains this," Finn said as he held up the cereal box he'd snagged from the kitchen on the way here. As he held it up, cereal began to fall from a hole in the side of the box that he hadn't noticed before

Starling groaned, they had enough to deal with without some hungry critter running amok aboard their ship, eating them out of house and home. "Okay, we have to find this thing, before it does anything more serious than what it's already done," she stated

"But it could be anywhere aboard the ship, and if it's small enough, it could be using the vents," Piper replied, before Stork appeared between her an Lark

"I'm telling you, _Gorga Mites_ ," he insisted creepily

Lark gave an annoyed frown, grabbing the Merb's ear while sending a small spark through her fingers. Stork gave a yelp as Lark pulled him towards her, "Get the ship's scanners up and running and turn them inwards, I want to find this thing so I can rotisserie it for tonight's dinner," she then turned her dark eyes on Stork, "Or are you volunteering to take its place?"

"I'll get right on it," Stork whimpered, at which Lark released him so he could go about his work

Piper and Starling stared at Lark disapprovingly, "What? You want to catch this thing too right?" she said

"Not the issue here," Starling replied, nodding to the now shaking Stork

Lark blinked, her dark eyes becoming lighter as they did, then realisation crossed her face, "Sorry Stork, I didn't mean it, just a little angry still," she called. Stork gave a thumbs up from the ship's controls, and his shaking lessened considerably

Lark then turned back to Piper and Starling, "I'm working on it okay, nine years remember," she stated, going into a huff and folding her arms

Piper laid a gentle hand on one of her arms, "That's why we remind you, you're getting better, but it'll still take time," she replied, to which Lark just nodded mutely

"I think I've got something," Stork suddenly called from the controls

Everyone was instantly up and crowding around the controls. Stork had brought up a top down plan of the ship on the main console screen, all life signs aboard were displayed as green dots. Eight of the dots were gathered at the very front of the bridge, but a ninth was further back, closer to... Suddenly a crash came from down the hallways, towards Dove's room and the... "MED-BAY!" Dove yelled, sprinting off at breakneck speed. Aerrow, Finn, Piper, Lark, Junko and Starling were right behind her

As Starling sprinted out, she grabbed a radio and called back to Stork, "Stay on that console; we'll keep in touch via the radio!"

Stork simply stared after them, suddenly feeling vulnerable all alone, "Okay, so maybe it isn't Gorga Mites, but what's worse than Gorga Mites," he said absently to himself, he's knees already shaking

* * *

The small figure looked down at the metal tray with its strange glass objects that it had accidentally pushed off the edge of the small table. The floor was now littered with strange looking berries that the figure somehow doubted were edible, among them were also shards from the now broken glass objects containing said berries. Suddenly, a shout came from the hallway, followed swiftly by pounding feet. Panicking, the small figure quickly leapt towards the large soft ledge near the corner of the room, and used a combination of its momentum and the springy surface to launch itself into the metal tunnel it had come from

* * *

Dove ran into the Med-Bay, but came up short, throwing her arms out wide to signal those behind her to stop. Everyone skidded to a halt, peering over her shoulder to see what was inside

"I had this place perfectly commande, and now look at it, pills and broken glass all over the floor," Dove said despondently, her shoulders sagging at the prospect of cleaning up

Starling squeezed past Dove and surveyed the damage, then her gaze drifted to the vent over one of the beds. She pulled up her radio, "Stork, any reason the vents aren't covered?" she asked

"Never got around to installing the covers, was a low priority job, we weren't meant to have our first test flight for at least a few weeks when you guys showed up," Stork replied

Starling sighed, on the one hand, she couldn't fault Stork or Junko for that, they'd focused on the more important things. On the other, it meant that Piper was right, there was no way an animal would have gotten away unseen through the Med-Bay door, they'd responded too quickly. The only way it could have escaped unseen, was through the vent, it was the only other way out, which meant it was small enough to use them, and if none of the vents had covers on, that meant no room aboard the ship was secure. She turned to the others; Lark and Piper were helping Dove clean up the mess, while the guys were just standing around. "Junko," Starling called, causing the Wallop in question to turn to her, "Do we have anything we can put in front of these, something that can't be chewed through?" she asked, jabbing a thumb at the open vent

Junko thought for a moment, then he snapped his fingers, "We've got some spare sheet metal down in storage from the ship's construction, they were due to get taken to general storage in the facility before you showed up," he replied

"Perfect," Starling stated, "Take Finn with you and start making some vent covers, once their done, start sealing the vents up, we're going to flush our little stowaway out into the open."

Junko and Finn nodded, before making their way to engineering. Aerrow then turned to Starling, "What do we do in the meantime?" he asked

Starling walked past him back out into the corridor, "We keep it on its toes, try to minimise the damage it causes," she then turned to the girls, "You three stay here till Junko and Finn get back to cover the vent, should keep the little gremlin from venturing back here."

The three of them nodded, then Stork's voice came back over the radio, "It's on the move, headed towards the hanger."

Aerrow and Starling set off in pursuit of their unwanted house guest

* * *

Repton scanned the skies ahead of him, the little brats couldn't have gotten far, sure they'd had a day's head start thanks to him having to answer questions to ALF, and the absence of a licence had not done them any favours. A quick call to Terra Bogaton however had cleared most of it up, they'd still had to pay for damages incurred to the dealer they'd been in, as well as the theft of the items the brats had taken, purely because there was no one else to lump the blame onto, since the brats had gotten clean away

"Anything yet!?" Repton yelled into the radio of his ride

"Nothing boss," Horek replied

"I got nothing either," came Leugey's despondent voice

"Spitz, report, do you have anything!?" Repton yelled, when his last man failed to answer

"Got a Terra boss, I'm going in for a closer look," Spitz replied

Repton felt a surge of anticipation at the news, "Report back if you find anything," Repton ordered

"You got it boss," Spitz affirmed

Repton then refocused on the skies ahead, one way or another; he'd make those brats pay for humiliating him

* * *

Aerrow and Starling arrived in the hanger bay, making sure to close and lock the door behind them, before turning to the rest of the room. Their five skimmers were arranged on either side of the room, with spare parts and maintenance tools placed in boxes and cubby holes by each bay. Currently, all was silent, and nothing moved

"Where is it Stork?" Starling whispered

"Somewhere near the front, by the hanger door," Stork answered quietly

Starling glanced to Aerrow, and silently directed him to approach a stack of crates at the far end of the hanger, while she went round the other side. Aerrow nodded, and began moving in the direction indicated. Silently, they approached the crates, eyes peeled for any sign of movement

* * *

The small figure watched the two creatures approach, it knew they couldn't see him, yet, but if they got much closer they would. It looked around for some way to distract them, then noticed a precariously balanced crate near the top of the pile. Carefully, it began climbing, making sure to keep one eye on the approaching creatures. The closest was clearly male, with striking red head fur and deep hazel eyes, his body fur was a deep blue with small red highlights, and he had a mane of black fur around his shoulders. He reminded the small figure oddly of his last troop's defender, at least, that was the sense and smell the small figure got from him. The female was clearly the leader of the troop he had stumbled on; she had striking purple head fur, with equally striking emerald eyes and body fur, and a mane of white fur around her shoulders.

He finally reached the top, and began pushing on the crate, it was heavy, but with a small groan, he began to tip it over, as soon as he felt gravity take over, he stopped pushing and ducked back down. The two creatures cried out as the crate toppled off, before a crash signified its meeting with the floor. He heard the two creatures land heavily as they jumped out the way, as he rushed from his hiding place and made for one of the metal tunnels. He heard a shout from behind him, just as he reached the vent, and the sound of a body thumping into the ground behind him, as he scrambled into the vent and out of sight

* * *

"Damm it!" Aerrow exclaimed

"Did you get a good look at it?" Starling asked

Aerrow shook his head, "I saw blue fur and a tail but that was it, little bugger is a smart one I'll give him that," Aerrow said, standing and dusting himself off

Starling snarled in annoyance, "How big do you think it was?"

Aerrow glanced at the smashed crate and the nuts and bolts now spilled across the floor, "Judging from the fact that it was able to push _that_ , and the length of the tail, I'd say our little stowaway is at least a couple feet tall, maybe three, which makes it just small enough to use the vents, but big enough to do serious damage to the ship... or us."

Starling gritted her teeth, that was all they needed. She grabbed her radio again, "Talk to me Stork, where's it going?"

"One moment..." came Stork's reply, before his voice came through urgently, "It's heading for the crystal lab!" he cried

Starling and Aerrow were running the moment he finished

* * *

Lark was also up and running the moment she heard what Stork had said, ignoring Piper as she called after her. Lark reached the lab first, in time to see a shadow duck down into the storage area at the back. She quickly closed and locked the door. "Nowhere to run now, my little gremlin," she growled menacingly as she used a Levitation crystal to block the vent with a crate lid. Once she had it secured, she released the levitation energy, and put the crystal back into its pocket, before striding into the room

* * *

Now this one was a problem, the small figure could _smell_ the hostility coming off her, and see the dark menacing gleam in her eyes. With its only escape route blocked as well, this new female had him trapped. Suddenly however, a loud banging came from the door

* * *

Lark started as Starling banged on the door, "Lark, open up!"

Lark glared at the room keeping her back to the door as she approached it again, "No can do Starling, I got that little gremlin trapped in here."

"And how exactly are you going to catch it!?" Starling retorted, "You're in a room full of volatile crystals, remember!"

Lark went a little paler than usual as this fact solidified in her mind. Letting out a frustrated growl, she turned around and marched back to the door

* * *

The small figure saw his chance, with surprise on his side he could probably make it between them once the door opened, he'd have to be quick though, and lucky

* * *

Lark unlocked the door, to see Aerrow and Starling standing on the other side, "Happy now?"

Starling made to reply, but didn't get the chance, as a ball of blue fur suddenly leapt onto Lark's head, pulling her hood up and over her face, while at the same time, causing her to stumble straight into Starling and Aerrow. The three of them collapsed to the floor, Lark on top of the two of them, limbs tangled

Aerrow saw the blue fuzz ball leap off Lark's head as they fell, and looked up after the fall, to see it disappearing down the far corridor, which he knew, lead downstairs. "It's heading to engineering!" he cried

"Confirmed, Junko, Finn, heads up."

Lark was up first, a bloodthirsty look pouring from her eyes now, "That little bastard, I'm going to _fry_ it!"

She took off down the corridor, before Starling or Aerrow could untangle themselves from one another sufficiently to follow

As they stood up, they saw Piper arrive, a small smirk on her face, "Is this really the time or place guys?" she asked suggestively

Aerrow's face went as red as his hair, Starling wasn't much better, but she got control faster, "Not now please Piper, we've got a gremlin to catch, and a pissed off Crystal Mage to calm down."

At Starling's words, Piper instantly sobered, and took off right behind them towards engineering

* * *

Finn and Junko had only just finished the first vent cover when Stork confirmed where their unwanted house guest was heading next. Both of them dropped what they were doing and made for the door, standing either side of it. As they waited, they heard something approaching, as well as a small shadow, move through the door. As one, they leapt out, shouting at the top of their lungs, pouncing on the approaching figure. Only to trip on the lip of the door and tackle Lark to the ground, who gave a startled yelp as they collided with her. None of them noticed a blue furred figure, jump down from the overhead pipes and dart into engineering

Starling, Aerrow and Piper came round the corner to find the three of them in a dazed heap on the floor

"Well, isn't this karmic," Starling said amusedly, forcing Piper and Aerrow to suppress sniggers

"It was an accident, we swear," Finn groaned

"I don't care if it was an accident or not," Lark growled, "GET OFF!"

The harsh yell was enough to send both boys springing upwards, Lark glared at them from the floor as she sat up

"Heh, sorry," Junko said, embarrassed

Lark just shook her head, as she stood up, the majority of her anger extinguished from the humbling incident. "Forget it, just point me towards the gremlin," Lark replied

"We didn't see it," Finn said, "We thought your shadow was the gremlin's shadow, that's why we jumped out."

Starling gave a frustrated sigh as she pulled out her radio again, "Stork, talk to me."

"Oh, it's in there, luckily, it has nowhere else to run," Stork replied

Starling raised an eyebrow and glanced to Junko, "Cause of safety reasons, the vent covers for engineering had to be installed during initial construction," he explained

"Meaning this door is the only way in or out of engineering," Piper stated

"Perfect," Lark growled as she advanced into the room before the others could stop her

Starling gave another sigh, before following her little sister, the others filing in behind. Finn was the last in, and made sure to close and lock the door behind them as the others spread out into the room

"Be careful in here guys, there's a lot of dangerous stuff in here, and a lot of dark corners," Starling warned

"Quick question," Piper asked, "When we catch this thing, what do we keep him in?"

"Got ya covered Piper," Junko called, producing a cage from beneath a desk, at the looks they gave him, he shrugged and continued, "Had a rat problem at my home when I was young, since then, I've learned it pays to be prepared."

Starling merely nodded approvingly, before turning to Lark, "Crystals, Lark, _now_."

Lark looked at Starling aghast, before she could voice her objection however, Starling explained, "We don't need you setting anything off with an errant crystal blast, so hand them over."

Lark growled in annoyance, but didn't argue, pulling out the Levitation crystal from before, along with a Solaris and Firebolt, and putting them in Starling's outstretched hand. Starling merely raised an eyebrow, "All of them."

Lark gave her an affronted look, but Starling just stared her down, her eyes hard. Finally, Lark relented and pulled out a leech crystal, causing everyone but Starling to suck in a breath. "Piper," Starling said mechanically

Piper quickly darted forward and took the leech crystal, before sticking it in a sealed container, as Starling put the other three into a small empty crate. "You do realize how dangerous that was?"

"I had it contained," Lark shot back, looking away

Starling just shook her head, and turned back to the others, "Alright, now that's done, let's get to searching, split up and try to find this thing."

* * *

The small figure was getting increasingly worried, there was no escape from this room, all the metal tunnels were sealed off, and the troop who lived here had shut the only other way in. Its only chance was to remain undetected, but considering they _knew_ he was in here, he did not think he could hide forever. Well, if he was going down, he was going down fighting

* * *

The six of them proceeded to move through the room, checking every nook and cranny, it didn't help that the lighting in this room wasn't the best, there were some particularly dark areas. To combat this, Junko produced some crystal powered torches and handed them out. They were nearing the back of the room, near the large Arclight Crystal Engine, when Lark spotted something just behind it

She held up a hand, causing the others to freeze, then indicated a point, just behind the engine

"Finn," Starling whispered

Finn nodded, and began to make his way over carefully. He was a few feet away, when a two-three foot figure jumped from behind the engine. Its fur was blue and it had a svelte build, with two large ears, and a long bushy tail. It collided with Finn's shoulder and sent him spinning into the wall, before launching off him and onto the overhead pipes

All of them looked up, their torches tracking it, able to get their first good look at their unwanted house guest. "A Lemur-Rabbit!" Starling shouted

"But how, we're nowhere _near_ their native Terra!" Piper exclaimed

"I don't care _how_ it got aboard, I'm still going to turn it into a nice hat!" Lark snarled, lunging for it

The Lemur-Rabbit, scurried along the pipes however, just out of Lark's reach, but not Junko's

Being taller, Junko was able to take a swipe at it, seeing the danger, the Lemur-Rabbit, jumped away, ending up on the floor, and with Lark hot on its heels. It gave a startled cry, before running in the opposite direction, only to skid to a stop as Piper came the other way. A quick direction change at the last minute had Lark and Piper colliding, while the agile little simian ducked beneath a worktop. Aerrow and Starling kept the pressure on though, as Junko lifted the worktop off the floor, and they dived underneath. The Lemur-Rabbit anticipated the move however, and Aerrow and Starling ended up butting heads, and finding nothing underneath. They looked up to see the Lemur-Rabbit hanging on to the underside of the worktop

"Grab it!" Starling barked

Aerrow lunged, but the little guy was just too quick, scurrying out on the opposite side of the worktable to Junko. Finn had recovered from being smacked into the wall, and came running at the little terror, which proceeded to jump away as Junko swung the worktop, in an attempt to dislodge the Lemur-Rabbit. This then caused the worktop to connect with Finn's stomach, and knocking the air from his lungs

"Ooh, sorry," Junko cringed

The Lemur-Rabbit landed on a stationary worktop, just as he heard an angry yell. He turned to see Lark running at him. He gave another yelp, running for the edge himself in an attempt to escape. Lark surprised him though, as she took a running leap, sliding across the surface of the worktop, and grabbing the Lemur-Rabbit by the tail

"Got you!" Lark snapped as she dragged the Lemur-Rabbit to her

The little guy knew that Lark was stronger than him, there was no way he was struggling out of this, time to go on the offensive. Without warning, he lunged for Lark's head, punching and kicking, doing everything he could to make her let go

"Argh, stop that!" Lark yelled as she got to her feet, and began desperately trying to dislodge the Lemur Rabbit with one hand, while keeping a hold of its tail with the other. The two flailed around the centre of the room, and as Lark's anger grew, small sparks of electricity began shooting off from her

"Piper, break them up, quick!" Starling cried, realising the danger those sparks could pose if they hit something

Piper nodded, and attempted to get the Lemur-Rabbit off Lark, but all she achieved was getting dragged into the struggle herself. Then, Piper and Lark tripped on one of the lower pipes, which sent all three of them sprawling. Lark and the Lemur-Rabbit ended up close to the crystal engine, while Piper landed on the other side, and knocked over the crate with the crystals in. Everyone watched in stunned horror as the three crystals tumbled from the crate. The Firebolt hit the floor first, causing a small burst of energy which hit the levitation crystal, activating it. This caused the Solaris crystal above it, to shoot into the air, while its forward momentum carried it across the room, and straight for the crystal engine

The crystal clattered into the engine, and for a moment, all was still. Before anyone had a chance to relax however, a bright light shone from the engine, and every gauge flew instantly to the red zone. Lark's eyes widened as she realised what was about to happen, and knew she'd never avoid it in time, this same realisation occurred for the Lemur-Rabbit as well. Before either had time to contemplate this revelation however, Aerrow slid between them and the engine, even grabbing the Lemur-Rabbit and holding it close to his chest, while his back faced the engine. Seeing Aerrow, Lark ducked down, making herself as small as possible behind him, just before a gout of steam, vented from the engine, slamming into Aerrow's back, causing him to cry out in pain

It lasted all of two seconds, as Junko had rushed to the engine controls the second he'd seen the gauges change and had enacted an emergency shutdown. Starling, Finn and Piper rushed forward the moment the steam shut off. Piper came to Lark's side

"Are you alright?" Piper asked concerned, Lark just nodded numbly, her voice failing her currently

They looked up at Starling's voice, "Finn, go get Dove!" Finn didn't argue, and was running from the room and unlocking the door in seconds. "Aerrow, Aerrow talk to me," Starling pressed

From the floor, Aerrow croaked out a response, "You know, I think I've had enough of the sauna for one day, or maybe a year."

"Aerrow this is no time for jokes!" Piper exclaimed

Aerrow gave her a wry grin, "Sorry Piper, I'm okay, just a bad burn."

"We'll let Dove be the judge of that," Starling replied, "How's the Lemur-Rabbit?"

Aerrow looked down into his arms, where the Lemur-Rabbit was still curled; it was shivering slightly, with wide eyes and ears flat against its head. "A little spooked, but none the worse for wear I think," Aerrow answered

"A-Aerrow, I'm really sorry, I-I didn't m-mean..." Lark tried, but her voice was shaking so badly she couldn't finish

"It's okay Lark, it wasn't your fault, accidents happen," Aerrow said, a sincere look on his face, despite the pain he was in

Lark nodded, but still was unable to hold back the sobs that had been building for the last minute. She crumpled into Piper's arms, who held her, gently rocking her back and forth, while stroking her back and the back of her head, soothing her

"I think we make it a rule from now on, 'No Crystals in the Engineering room'," Starling stated

"Sounds good," Junko agreed as he inspected the engine

"How's it look?" Starling asked

Junko opened the main hatch for the engine, causing a gout of black smoke to pour out, he quickly closed it again, coughing as he beat at the smoke with his hand. "Not good," he coughed, "I'm going to have to find that Solaris crystal and remove it, then I'll need to inspect the whole thing for damages. If we're lucky, I won't need spare parts."

Starling sighed resignedly, "Let me know as soon as you know the extent of the damage."

Junko nodded, and then proceeded to hook up an emergency vent to the engine to draw away the smoke. As he worked, Dove rushed back in with Finn

"Mon Dieu, Aerrow," she exclaimed, as she got down next to him, setting down her first aid kit, "I need some light."

Finn was right on the ball, pulling out his own torch, and taking Starling's as well, shinning both on Aerrow's back from different angles. Dove sucked in a breath as she cut open Aerrow's jumpsuit and inspected Aerrow's back, running her fingers around the affected area with a feather light touch. "Pour l'amour de Dieu Aerrow," she breathed

"How bad is it?" Starling asked

"Bad, but not untreatable," Dove replied, as she pulled a bottle of cool water from her first aid kit, "This is going to sting you idiot temeraire."

Before Aerrow had a chance to respond, Dove was pouring the water on the affected area, trying to get the temperature down. Aerrow hissed through his teeth, his entire body tense. In his arms, the Lemur-Rabbit began purring and rubbing its head against Aerrow's chin. Dove noticed as she emptied the bottle, and pulled out a basic burn salve

"Oh, who is this mignon petit gars?" she asked

"That," Starling said, her voice strained, "Is our unwanted house guest who's been running rings around us."

Dove looked at her shocked, "This petit gars, but he is adorable," she said, as her free hand scratched his head

"That's one way of putting it," Finn mumbled

Dove swatted him on the leg, "Do not let the torch drift please."

Finn snapped his attention back to what he was doing, as Dove finished by applying the salve to Aerrow's burn, "That should keep it from getting any worse for now, but I need to get him to the med-bay stat."

Starling nodded, "Finn, give me a hand."

Working together, they got Aerrow to his feet, as carefully as possible. Once he was standing, Starling nodded to Piper, "Take the Lemur-Rabbit would you, and put him in that cage."

Piper nodded, getting up, and helping Lark at the same time. As she moved to take the little guy from Aerrow though, the Lemur-Rabbit began whimpering and holding onto Aerrow tighter. "It's okay little guy, I'm not gonna hurt you, you just need to come with me for a little while," Piper said, her voice calm and soft

The Lemur-Rabbit shook its head though, and gripped the front of Aerrow's jumpsuit tighter. "It's okay," Aerrow said, "Let's just get to the med-bay first."

No one was really in the mood for a debate, so without a word, they began making their way out of engineering towards the med-bay

* * *

Spitz landed on the small Terra, at first it didn't look like anything special, then he'd remembered that they were chasing fugitives. Nondescript and out of the way were the qualities one looked for when hiding from the law. He'd been on the Terra all of five minutes, when suddenly a loud noise, like rushing air, blasted from a short distance away, and a multitude of birds took to the skies around the location. He turned his ride in the direction of the disturbance, coming to a clearing near to a set of cliffs. Nestled at the clearing's centre, was a sleek silver-grey and blue ship, which matched the descriptions of the ship the brats had stolen

A slow toothy grin spread onto Spitz' face, as he turned on his radio, "Boss, its Spitz... I got an early birthday present for ya," he said as he continued to observe the ship, which now began to leak black smoke from a dorsal vent

* * *

"MY SHIP, WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY SHIP!" Stork cried as he burst into the med-bay

"Not now please Stork, and don't worry, Junko's working to fix the damage," Starling replied as she and Finn set Aerrow down on the bed

Stork's eye twitched, but before he could launch into another rant, Lark spoke up. "I'm sorry Stork, it's my fault, I brought crystals into the engine room and in the ruckus, one ended up falling into the engine."

Stork blinked, nonplussed at Lark's confession, before sighing and hanging his head, "Well, with that being the case, I suppose I should be thankful the damage wasn't worse." He then turned from the room, "I'm going to go down to engineering to help Junko, see if we can't get this girl flying again, we're sitting ducks at the moment."

Starling nodded, "Alright, meet on the bridge in an hour for debrief."

Stork nodded in reply, and then left

"Aerrow you need to lie down, I cannot treat you sitting up," Dove insisted

"I'd love to Dove, but..." Aerrow trailed off as he looked down at the Lemur-Rabbit, still clutching his jumpsuit tightly

Starling sighed, and moved to take the Lemur-Rabbit, "Come on little guy, you need to come off."

But the little simian just gripped Aerrow tighter, unwilling to let go. "It's fine, just treat me like this," Aerrow said

"It is not that simple Aerrow, I need to check the extent of the damage and apply gauze, if the injury is severe enough, you may need to see an actual doctor," Dove stated

"Can't you treat him?" Starling asked

Dove sighed, her shoulders sagging, "Yes, and I have treated minor burns before, both on myself and others... but those were from household appliances, I have no idea what complications might arise from the fact that this burn was caused from an overheating engine." She then turned to Aerrow, her eyes and voice stern, "So I _need_ you to lie down, I need the injured area to be as visible as possible and be in a position that makes it easy to inspect and treat."

It was Aerrow's turn to sigh, "Well unless you've got an idea about how to dislodge this little guy..." he began, before Piper suddenly reappeared, having broke off from them on their way to the med-bay

"I knew I saw some, bet you had trouble getting to this, huh little guy," she said, walking in carrying a jar of honey and some bread sticks

Everyone looked at Piper as she pulled up a chair near to Aerrow, before opening the jar. The moment it was open, the Lemur-Rabbit's head moved slightly away from Aerrow, his nose twitching as he sniffed the air. Piper just smiled, as she dipped in a bread stick, coating one end in honey, before holding it out towards the little guy. Everyone watched in fascination as the Lemur-Rabbit began tracking the bread stick, leaning further and further out from Aerrow. Finally he gave a cautious glance around the room, but when no one else moved, he jumped from Aerrow's lap, and into Piper's, taking hold of the bread stick, and beginning to nibble on the honey coated end

Everyone – bar Aerrow – stared in shock and amazement as the Lemur-Rabbit sat contentedly in Piper's lap, Aerrow simply smiled. "How long have you known that would work?" he asked amusedly

"Since we learned what we were dealing with," Piper answered with a smile, "Lemur-Rabbits have an irresistible sweet tooth, comes from where they live. Once a year, every year, the plants of the forests they live in produce the sweetest berries and fruits you've ever tasted." Piper looked down at the blue furred little guy in her arms, "The Lemur-Rabbits go absolutely _nuts_ for them, and spend the next month harvesting as much as they can before their gone. This is also one of the main reasons they haven't been hunted to extinction for their fur."

"What do you mean?" Lark asked, genuinely curious

"When they were first discovered, people hunted them for their fur, and also to eliminate the competition for the fruit. Plantations that sprang up to harvest the fruit, saw the Lemur-Rabbits as pests, when actually, their important for the survival of the plants," Piper explained

"How?" Starling this time

Piper shook her head, "We don't know the specifics of the relationship, all we know is that as the Lemur-Rabbits were hunted, the plants began dying, fruit production came to a grinding halt. The Senate was pushed by an animal welfare society to launch a study of the Lemur-Rabbits and the fruit bearing plants." Piper paused as the Lemur-Rabbit finished off the first stick, and handed him another, it quickly dipped the stick into the honey jar, and continued nibbling. "While they didn't find the reason why, they did find that there was a correlation between the Lemur-Rabbit's harvesting, and the success of the plants. They released their findings, and suddenly, plantation keepers became desperate for Lemur-Rabbits. Preservation areas were set up, and new strategies implemented to ensure the Lemur-Rabbits could carry out their harvests, while ensuring there was enough fruit for the plantations to sell on. It made the fruits rare, which – along with how good they are – also made them valuable, increasing the price, and indirectly the importance of the Lemur-Rabbits, ensuring the plantations would protect them."

All of them stared from Piper, to the Lemur-Rabbit, happily nibbling away at his honey sticks. Starling made her way over, slowly, then reached out and began to scratch the little guy behind the ears. He tensed for a moment, then purred while leaning back into Starling's hand. "Wish we'd known what we were dealing with when we first learned we had an animal on board, would have made today so much easier," she said, smiling

Aerrow and Dove also smiled, while Finn gave a small chuckle, Lark was the only one not smiling, instead, she was scowling. Suddenly she stood, causing the Lemur-Rabbit to tense, "I'm heading to the lab, I've got some ideas that might help should we need to defend ourselves in a hurry," she stated crisply

Starling and Piper both glanced at one another, before turning back to Lark and nodding, with that, she marched from the room, the Lemur-Rabbit began to relax again the moment she was gone

Once she left, Dove turned to Aerrow, "Alright mister, on your stomach now please."

Aerrow chuckled, "Yes ma'am."

* * *

About an hour later, everyone was gathered on the bridge, except Aerrow, who was still in the med-bay, under doctor's orders. The Lemur-Rabbit was still in Piper's arms, not having left since finishing off the bread sticks. It was currently grooming itself as it sat contentedly in Piper's lap, from across the room, Lark was staring daggers at the little guy, for a couple of reasons

"Alright, what's the situation people?" Starling asked, beginning the briefing

Junko started, "The engines are completely shot, the Solaris crystal overloaded the internal mechanisms, which increased the pressure, forcing an emergency vent, if we hadn't shut it off, the engine could have exploded."

Starling groaned, "How long would it take to fix it?"

"Fix it?" Stork began, "I don't think you quite understand."

"Enlighten me then," Starling replied

Stork stood here and went over to the controls, calling up a schematic of the engine on one of the screens. "This isn't some engine we bought on the market, or a prototype from Long Feng's labs, Junko and I _designed_ and built this one ourselves, it's what makes the _Condor_ the ship she is, there's nothing else remotely like this engine in the entire Atmos."

His words slowly began to sink in for everyone, if the engine was unique, it would be difficult, if not impossible to acquire spare parts to fix it

"Alright, let me rephrase the question, how long would it take to get her airborne again?" Starling asked

Stork looked like he was going to continue his rant of how impossible that task was, but Junko intervened. "As much as Stork gripes, it would be possible to perform a temporary fix with more common engine parts, but seeing as they aren't fully compatible, we'd have to get a decent supply, switching out the burned out parts with the fresh ones, while Stork and I work on rebuilding the original damaged parts, which for the record, will takes us at least a week with the right resources."

Stork shook his head at his partners attempt at peace-making, before finally relenting, "Correct, though I must point out there are a multitude of problems which could occur from using sub-standard parts in the engine."

"Noted," Starling said, before turning to Dove, "How about Aerrow, how is he doing?"

Dove sighed, "The burn was not as bad as it could be, he still has basic feeling over the affected area, so it is just the surface nerve endings that got damaged, but they should repair over time. I have cleaned and cooled the burned area, and applied a salve to keep away infection and reduce both the pain and inflammation. However, because of the area the burn is in, I have to stress that Aerrow remains in bed for at least three days, as the skin over the affected area is very delicate right now, and if it tears, if will increase the risk of infection, and could result in more permanent damage."

Starling sighed, then turned to the Lemur-Rabbit, "You've caused quite the mess, you know that right."

The Lemur-Rabbit's ears drooped and it let out a little whine

Starling just smiled and shook her head, "Don't worry, what's done is done," she then turned to the others. "Okay, so we need parts, meaning we'll have to go find a dealer somewhere, any suggestions?"

"There's a small settlement not far from here, it's technically a part of Terra Mesa, so it doesn't have its own security force, instead it relies on the troops on Terra Mesa to come to its aid if there's a problem," Piper said

"So as long as we're careful about our identities, we can go there, grab what we need, and come back without raising too much suspicion," Lark stated

"You're staying," Starling ordered

Lark looked at her aghast, "What, why!?"

Starling held up a hand placatingly, "Two reasons, one, you're still angry, don't try to argue that, you've been staring daggers at the little guy the entire debrief." Lark looked away at that, chagrined. "And two, we can't leave the _Condor_ undefended, Aerrow's out of action, at least Junko and myself will need to go to get the parts we need," Starling continued, before Dove cut in

"I'd also like to grab some medical books and additional supplies for the med-bay, there are some things that need replacing as it is," she said

"I'd like to see if there's an animal shelter that will take this little guy," Piper said, indicating the Lemur-Rabbit in her arms

"And I have a message I'd like to send to my parents, seeing as we kinda left Terra Mesa in a hurry," Finn added

Starling sighed, then waved to the room at large, "You see, that would just leave Stork and Aerrow aboard the _Condor_ , Aerrow is in no condition to fight at the moment if the ship is attacked, and Stork is by no means a fighter... no offense Stork."

"None taken," Stork replied

Starling then turned back to Lark, who finally sighed in exasperation, "Alright fine."

Starling nodded, "Good, then let's get moving people, the quicker we're done, the faster we can get the _Condor_ sky worthy again."

As everyone dispersed, Piper set the Lemur-Rabbit on a nearby table, "Okay little guy, you've gotta stay here for now, while I go find you a better home okay."

The little guy whined, and tried to follow Piper, but she simply gave it a stern reply, "No, stay, I won't be gone long, you'll see."

"You're not taking it with you?" Lark asked, still staring daggers at the little guy

Piper merely shook her head, "Be a little difficult to fly while holding him, and if he was hanging onto my back, I'd be constantly worried about my scooter's rotor blades. Also, I don't know if there even _is_ an animal shelter that will take him, I'm just holding out hope, I don't want to get there, find there's nowhere that will take him, and then have to just bring him back. This is easier," she explained, then a sly grin spread across her face, "So play nice you two, I don't want to find this place turned into a battlefield when I get back."

Lark's cheeks went bright red at that, while the Lemur-Rabbit gave a sheepish grin. Piper merely chuckled, before following the others to the hanger bay

* * *

Lark and the Lemur-Rabbit watch Piper and the others leave on their skimmers, with Dove riding shotgun on Piper's scooter. They continued watching till they were out of sight, before Lark sighed and turned back to the now empty bridge. Aerrow was still in the med-bay, and Stork was outside, checking the incident with the engine hadn't caused additional damage to the rest of the ship

She looked at the Lemur-Rabbit, which was still staring forlornly in the direction their friends had gone

 **Kill it, get rid of it, it's the cause of all of this** , hissed the dark voice in Lark's head

 _No, Piper would be beyond unhappy if we did that, the little guy didn't mean to cause so much trouble, he's probably lost. Remember what Piper said 'We're nowhere close to his home Terra'_ , argued the other voice, the voice which had been getting stronger since she'd met Piper

Lark still didn't understand what was happening to her, it was like she was itching to unleash her power on everyone and everything around her. Only Piper's words kept her at bay, _"There are other ways."_

Lark shook herself as the memory played back, had it really been just over a week ago, it felt so long, like another life. She glanced again at the Lemur-Rabbit, which was now looking at her, its head tilted to one side curiously. The dark voice once again began baying for the animal's blood, but Lark forced it down, before eying the little simian with hard eyes

"I've got my eye on you, gremlin," she snarled, before marching off

The Lemur-Rabbit watched her leave, not understanding why the dark haired and eyed female was so hostile towards him. He looked one more time out the window, before jumping down from the railing and padding off towards the med-bay

* * *

Repton landed in the small clearing at the edge of the Terra where Spitz was waiting, the rest of his boys coming in behind him

"Well, where are they?" Repton snarled

"This way boss, follow me," Spitz replied, before turning his ride around and moving off through the trees

The other Raptors followed, they'd been moving for about ten minutes, when Spitz suddenly stopped at the edge of another clearing. Repton guessed they were now approximately in the centre of the Terra. He was about to ask Spitz why he'd brought them here – for nothing – when he sighted the ship, and his eyes gained a predatory gleam

"Well done Spitz, well done indeed," Repton praised, "Are they aboard."

Spitz shook his head, "I think the ship is damaged, they left about an hour ago on their skimmers," he began. Before Repton could round on him in anger though, Spitz continued, "But not all of them left." As he said this, he pointed towards the ship, specifically around the legs, where they saw Stork inspecting the outside of the ship

Repton's grin became malicious, "I see, so they've left the pilot to watch the ship, while they go get parts." Repton began to chuckle darkly as his boys all grinned behind him, "Perfect."

* * *

Stork was examining the exterior of the ship, checking to make sure the damage was confined to the engine, when he heard the sound of skimmer engines. He turned his eyes skyward, but saw nothing, and a tingle of paranoia raced up his spine. It was too early anyway, the others wouldn't be back yet. He quickly looked around, searching for the sound, then he saw it, four ramshackle rides, at the edge of the trees, with riders Stork instantly recognised. His eyes locked with the leader, and immediately the jig was up. All four Raptors came roaring out of the tree line, barrelling for the _Condor_. Not wasting any time, Stork raced for the ramp, reaching it just in time to raise it behind him and lock it. As it closed, he heard a snarl of anger from below, he ignored it, and raced up to the crew deck of the ship

"EMERGENCY, EMERGENCY!" Stork screamed as he arrived on the main deck, and barrelled into the med-bay

"What, what's going on Stork?" Aerrow asked, carefully sitting up, the Lemur-Rabbit huddled behind him

Before Stork could reply, Lark came running in, staff in hand, "What is it, did that rodent break something else?"

Aerrow was about to say something in response to that, but Stork's next cry cut him off, "RAPTORS!"

That caused both Lark and Aerrow to freeze, "Damm it, now of all times," Aerrow growled

 **That scaled bastard Repton, let's go teach him a lesson, none of them would care if we killed that one** , Lark's dark voice growled

 _No, killing is not the answer, there has to be another way, we just have to find it_ , the other voice insisted

Her internal monologue was interrupted by Aerrow, "Lark, help me up, I need my weapons."

Lark started, "No way, Dove gave specific orders for you not to do _anything_ strenuous."

"How are we supposed to defend ourselves then?" Aerrow asked, "Without you going Crystal Mage psycho on them," he added

Lark cringed at that, Aerrow had a point, she could handle them alone, but not necessarily in a controlled fashion, which could cause additional damage to the ship, and other forms of _collateral_ damage. "That doesn't mean you're going out there to fight them, in your condition, you probably wouldn't win anyway," Lark countered

"Well then, what's your bright idea, we can't just let them stroll onto the ship," Aerrow replied

Lark opened her mouth to retort, when she suddenly froze. _'Let them stroll onto the ship'_ , she turned the thought over in her mind, weighing all the pros and cons. Finally she spoke, "Stork, we're still on emergency power right?"

"Yes," Stork answered, clearly still worried about the Raptors right outside

"Are there any systems that would work on emergency power, systems we could rig into traps?" Lark asked

Stork opened his mouth, but then stopped short himself, his look turning thoughtful. "Not on emergency power, but if we could hook up an additional power source, then maybe," he finally replied

A sly grin began spreading across Lark's face as she conjured a few sparks around her finger tips, "Oh, I got power covered."

The sly grin spread to Stork's face now, then suddenly it fell, "No wait, we'd need someone to trip the breakers locally so I'm able to access the systems."

"I can do that," Aerrow said

"NO!" both Stork and Lark barked before Aerrow could do so much as move

"Your injured Aerrow, you need to remain as still as possible," Lark insisted

"Well who else is going to do it?" Aerrow demanded

The three of them were silent for a moment, then they heard a light purring. They turned to look at the Lemur-Rabbit who was trying to comfort Aerrow after hearing his angry voice. The little guy quickly noticed them staring at him, and stared back nervously

"Would-would that work?" Aerrow asked

"You know... it might," Stork said, "We already know he can move through the vents, he'd be able to get to the breakers completely unseen by the Raptors."

"No, I'm not trusting my life to that fur ball," Lark growled, which caused the Lemur-Rabbit to cross his arms and glare angrily at her

Aerrow chuckled, "I don't think he likes you calling him a fur ball, besides, it's not like we have much choice."

Lark gritted her teeth, before relenting, "Fine."

Aerrow smiled, before turning to the Lemur-Rabbit, "What do you say little guy, gonna help us out?"

To their immense surprise, the little guy nodded, a big smile on his face

"Alright, if we're doing this, then let's get Aerrow to the bridge, if this works, it's going to be the only safe place on the ship," Stork said

No one argued, as Lark helped Aerrow up, and helped him to the bridge

* * *

Repton banged a fist angrily against the bottom of the ramp, they'd been so close to getting aboard, now they had to find another way in

"Heh boss, I think the ship is out of power, the hanger door isn't locked," Horek called from up on the runway

Repton looked up towards Horek, "Well get it open then!"

* * *

"You're not going to damage that, right?" Stork asked, concerned, as Lark took hold of the power cable, running through the back of the control console

"I can keep the voltage low, so it shouldn't damage it, still, won't hurt to give it a test once we're done, just in case," Lark replied

Stork nodded as he turned to where Aerrow was sitting next to him, hooking up the Lemur-Rabbit with a small camera and radio, so they could see what the little guy saw, and communicate with him.

"Okay, you're all set little buddy," Aerrow said

The little guy stood at attention and saluted as Aerrow finished wiring him

* * *

As Horek held open the hanger door, Spitz and Leugey jumped through, with Repton right behind them

"He won't know what hit him," Repton chuckled maliciously

As Repton jumped in, Horek followed behind, the door closing shut as he let it go

* * *

An alarm began blaring through the ship as what systems were still working, detected the intruders

"They found a way on board, oh this is really bad news... for them," Stork said, adding a creepy tone and look to the last part

Both Aerrow and Lark grinned, happy that for once, Stork's neurotic behaviour was working in their favour. Aerrow then turned to the Lemur-Rabbit, "Okay buddy, you're up."

The little guy nodded, before leaping up into one of the vents, and making his way to the hanger bay. He reached it, just in time to see the Raptors carefully making their way through the room, then he heard Aerrow's quiet voice in his ear. "The breaker should be just to your left," he said

The Lemur-Rabbit turned, and saw the breaker, and flipped the switch indicated, with a deft swing of one leg

"Okay, not bad," Lark muttered as they watched the little guy work. Sparks travelled slowly down her arm, and into the cable she was currently holding, keeping the power levels at the minimum Stork required for their plan

With a few quick button presses, Stork cut all power to the hanger bay, plunging the Raptors into darkness. Through the Lemur-Rabbit's night-vision camera, the three of them saw the Raptors crash into each other, causing a round of sniggers, before Stork silenced them, and turned on the ship intercom

"Erm, hello, is this thing on," he tapped the mike a couple times to check, "Yea... I think it's only fair to warn you that, pain, and misery, is about to be inflicted."

"That's right toad, to you!" Spitz shouted back

"Spitz, quit yammering and find a light switch!" Repton growled in annoyance

"I got it," Spitz replied, before grabbing a nearby wall switch and pulling down, turning the lights back on

Stork's only reaction on the bridge was to casually flick a switch of his own. Spitz suddenly began convulsing as the metal switch he was holding had its safeties removed, and he was exposed to the voltage running through the circuit. Had he been human, the voltage would have been fatal, as it was; he was just in immense pain. Horek and Leugey looked on in horror, hands just in front of mouths, while Repton just stared, a look of bewilderment on his face. The lights then suddenly shut off again, before a now smoking and scorch covered Spitz turned them back on, being sure to let go of the switch this time, his left eye giving a minute twitch

"That the best you got?" Horek asked, drawing his blade, as Leugey next to him did the same

"Oh, not really," Stork responded, while behind him, Aerrow and Lark were doing their best to contain their laughter. Stork then flipped another switch

The sound of something powering up filled the hanger bay, as several metallic objects began moving towards Horek and Leugey. Repton figured it out instantly, "Horek, Leugey, MOVE!"

Neither of them understood what the danger was, until their weapons were pulled onto a small round platform that they were standing on. By then it was too late, as boxes and crates piled around them, before one above them, tipped over and spilled its metallic contents on their heads

"Ouch," both groaned

"Idiots, you're standing on a magnetic lift," Repton growled, despairing at his boy's incompetence. "What's the matter with you all; for once could you show a little stealth?" as Repton spoke, he walked forward into a string the Lemur-Rabbit had set up while they'd all been distracted. As Repton felt his leg hit the string, pushing it forward, he heard a beep from above, and looked just in time to see a bucket, tip over, and dump its oily contents all over him. A couple seconds passed, before Repton let out a frustrated roar of fury

* * *

Starling kept a wary eye out as a small ALF patrol passed by, they weren't real ALF soldiers, just some locals drafted to wear the uniform and keep the peace, they didn't even really have any proper training, so it was easy to avoid them. Still better safe than sorry

She turned as she heard Junko approach, he had a large box in his arms, which he began strapping to his ride. "That's everything, with this I should be able to keep the _Condor_ flying until Stork and I are able to rebuild the damaged parts," he said

Starling nodded, then saw Dove walking up with Piper in tow, both were carrying medical supplies. "Got everything you need?" Starling asked

Dove nodded, "Oui, we do, but unfortunately..." Dove trailed off as she glanced towards Piper, who now sighed

"There _was_ an animal shelter here which would have taken the little guy, but it's shut down, and has been for the last three years," Piper said

Starling just waved it off, "So the little guy will be staying with us a little longer, so what?"

Piper rolled her eyes, "Come on Starling you know why, you said it yourself at the debrief."

Starling frowned, then caught on, "Lark."

Piper nodded, before sitting on her scooter, "I don't know what to do, she clearly doesn't like the little guy, and he's scared of her. If he stays it could have a detrimental effect on Lark," she said despairingly

Starling sighed as she stood up and prepared to leave, "Don't worry about it too much, Lark never was really that keen on animals, and considering the little guy was probably responsible for trashing her sketch pad, I can understand her attitude."

"I guess," Piper replied, before Dove cut in

"Heh, where's Finn?" she asked

They all looked around; surprised their newest member wasn't back yet. "Right here," came a call from behind them, they turned to see Finn walking up to them from the other end of the alley, holding a small bag in his hand

"What took you?" Starling asked

Finn gave a wry grin, "Sorry, saw a shop on the way back here, thought I'd pick something up for Lark, I did promise after all." He held up the bag for emphasis, and it didn't take a genius to figure out what was inside

They all smiled at that, as Starling nodded her thanks, "Well alright then," she then turned to the others, "Shall we get going then, we shouldn't keep the others waiting too long."

"Are you kidding," Finn interjected as he mounted his skimmer, "Their probably bored out of their minds."

* * *

Lark and Aerrow were roaring with laughter as the Raptors encountered obstacle after trap, after pitfall, after rigged switch. Meanwhile the Lemur-Rabbit was ducking in and out of vents, flipping breakers, setting traps, and following all directions given to him by Stork and Aerrow. He wasn't even an unknown quantity anymore; the Raptors had spotted him several times now, and tried to grab him whenever they saw him. Things were starting to get tense though, Repton refused to give up or surrender, and the four of them were steadily drawing closer to the bridge. Finally, their luck ran out, as Repton surprised the Lemur-Rabbit, only the little guy's quick reactions and agility kept him out of Repton's grasp. Unfortunately, it came at the cost of the camera and radio he'd been wearing

Repton picked up the camera and radio, as the Lemur-Rabbit escaped into the vents once again. He glared into the lens, all patience gone, "No more games, we're coming for you, and when we find you, you'll wish you'd never been born."

With that, he crushed the camera, blinding them

"Now what?" Aerrow asked, as the Lemur-Rabbit came running back in, heading straight for Aerrow

"I'm nearly out of juice as is, anyway," Lark said tiredly

"So... you can't take them on now?" Stork asked concerned

Lark shook her head, "This ship needs a lot of power just to run basic systems, if we survive this, I'm going to need to rest to restore my energy."

Stork rolled his eyes and gave an _'of course look'_

"Any ideas Stork?" Aerrow asked

Stork thought for a moment, then his eyes drifted to the table behind them, "Just one, it's a long-shot, but it might just work."

Aerrow glanced to Lark, "Think you've got one more trap in you?"

Lark gave him a wry grin, "How much you need?"

* * *

"Boss, don't you think we should get outta here, before the others show up?" Horek asked

Repton whirled on him, his face a mask of fury, "A RAPTOR _NEVER_ ABANDONS ITS PREY!" he roared. "We leave when we're finished," he stated, Spitz and Leugey nodding nervously. Repton then snarled in Horek's face before turning and leaping up one of the ship's larger vents, reaching the very top of the ship, the others right behind him

* * *

Stork stood causally at the controls, whistling away, Aerrow and Lark relaxing next to him, outwardly, all three were calm. Inwardly, they were tense, there was so much that could go wrong with this plan

Suddenly, the sound of clanging reached their ears; they turned to the briefing room behind the bridge. They watched as out of one of the larger vents, Repton and his boys emerged, grinning victoriously

"End of the road toad," Spitz growled, putting one arm on Repton's shoulder, which was shrugged off as all four of them began advancing, chuckling maliciously

"Any last requests?" Repton asked darkly as he brought the Raptors to a halt in the centre of the room, just within striking distance of their prey. Stork, Aerrow, Lark and the Lemur-Rabbit all smirked, as they saw the Raptors had stopped exactly where they'd wanted them too

"Erm, yea, get off my ship," Stork replied, flipping one final switch, and causing what the Raptors had thought to be a circular plate on the floor, to drop by a couple of inches, as it prepped to release. Yet again, Repton realised their fate instantly, and gave a tired, resigned sigh, before the spring loaded table launched all four of them through the open skylight and into the air. They flew a fair distance, before landing haphazardly in the trees

"Whew, nice one," Aerrow cried, while the Lemur-Rabbit began dancing and chirping in joy

Stork simply leant back against the controls, chuckling to himself, while Lark let up on feeding the _Condor_ power and joined the celebration. Then her fatigue set in and Stork got her settled on one of the couches, before helping Aerrow back to the med-bay. The others would be back before the Raptors recovered, so for now, they were out of danger. As Lark lay down to sleep, she felt something small and furry curl up next to her, by this point, she was simply too tired to care, so she wasn't even aware that she wrapped her arm around the little guy, as the two of them drifted off

* * *

Piper had to bite her lip to suppress the giggles that so desperately wanted to burst forth as she observed Lark and the Lemur-Rabbit curled up on the couch. She and the others had returned just a few minutes ago, to find the entire ship in disarray, and four Raptor skimmers parked outside. Stork had given them an immediate break down of what happened, causing them all to stare at him in shock and amazement. After Stork's debrief, Starling had ordered him and Junko to get the engines working ASAP, while Dove had gone to the med-bay to check on Aerrow, and Piper had gone to the bridge. Where she had found Lark and the Lemur-Rabbit

Starling came and stood next to her, staring down at the two of them, "Well what do you know," she chuckled

"I know right," Piper giggled, "Their so cute."

Their voices stirred the Lemur-Rabbit awake, and upon seeing Piper, he instantly leapt into her arms, purring as she caught him. "Heh there little guy, I missed you too," Piper laughed

Lark was jolted a little by the little guy's sudden leap, and slowly came round herself, to see the three of them standing in front of her. Her cheeks gained a small blush, "Erm... how long have you two been there?"

"Not long," Starling replied, but smiled knowingly none the less, causing Lark's blush to deepen

"Sounds like you two did some bonding while we were away," Piper said cheekily

Lark looked away, embarrassed, "I wouldn't call it bonding, he helped us see off the Raptors, that's it."

Starling and Piper shared a look, "Still, would you mind at all if... I don't know... the little guy stuck around for a little while longer?" Piper asked

Lark's gaze snapped back to them, "What about the animal shelter?"

"Shut down," Starling answered, "Which means he'll be staying with us for a little while at least."

Lark clearly didn't know what to think about that, so in the end, she opted for default, "Well just make sure he doesn't touch my things," she replied huffily

Starling and Piper shared a chuckle, "Of course," Starling replied. "Speaking of, Finn got you this," she continued, before holding out the bag Finn had brought, its item still inside

Lark looked at it curiously, then the shape of the item registered, and she lunged for it. Starling released the bag as Lark grabbed it, and they watched her pull out a brand new 250 page, plain white paper, sketch pad. A few tears formed in Lark's eyes as she clutched the pad to her chest, before Starling spoke, "He did promise you," she said smiling

Lark nodded, "Where is he?"

"Down in engineering with Junko and Stork, giving them a helping hand," Piper responded, not noticing the curious look the Lemur-Rabbit in her arms was giving Lark and her sketch pad

"I'll thank him when I get the chance," Lark said

Starling and Piper both nodded, smiling at that, before suddenly, the Lemur-Rabbit leapt from Piper's arms and scurried into a nearby vent. The three girls stared curiously after him, before they heard sounds of movement overhead. Then suddenly, a ceiling panel came loose, and the Lemur-Rabbit gave a startled cry as it fell through, several sheets of paper clutched in one hand

"That's where he's been hiding?" Starling asked, as she looked up into the crawl space that had been revealed. Inside, Starling could see several items that had gone missing since they left Terra Mesa, including Junko's wrench, and an empty bottle of water

The little guy shook himself from the harsh landing, before standing up and approaching Lark. Once he was standing in front of her, he held out the sheets of paper, a guilty look across his furry features, with ears drooped and everything. Lark, cautiously took the papers from him, then gasped as she realised what they were

Piper and Starling stood confused for a moment, before Lark lunged for the little guy. At first, they thought Lark was going to hurt him, as evidenced by the Lemur-Rabbit's sudden startled cry. Rather than attack him though, instead, Lark was hugging him, "Thank you, thank you for returning them," she breathed

Starling and Piper both connected the dots, and breathed a sigh of relief, as the Lemur-Rabbit patted the back of Lark's head comfortingly. Then Lark released him, and stood up, holding both her new pad, and her old drawings close, "I'm just going to put these in mine and Piper's room... then I'm going to sleep for a week."

Starling and Piper smiled and nodded, "You do that," Piper said encouragingly, "Sleep tight."

Lark nodded, and left, tears of joy brimming at the corners of her eyes

The Lemur-Rabbit watched her leave, then winched as Starling spoke, "You're going to return everything else you've taken from around the ship mister, unless you wanna stay on this Terra with the Raptors?"

The little guy instantly snapped to attention, saluting Starling, before darting back into the vent to retrieve the other items from his nest. Piper just chuckled as they watched him scurry back and forth, "Looks like we have a new recruit," she said smiling, "What are we gonna call him?"

Suddenly, Aerrow's voice came through on the intercom, "Radarr, his name is Radarr."

Starling laughed out loud at that, "Well that's that," she said, as they watched Radarr run back in, fleeing an angry Finn, who had only just realised that Radarr had taken his guitar pick

"WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU, YOU'RE GONNA WISH THE RAPTORS HAD GOTTEN YOU INSTEAD!" Finn yelled, as Radarr gave a startled cry, leaping all about the ship to avoid Finn

Laughter echoed around the ship, as Stork and Junko got the engines working. A few minutes later, and the _Condor_ was rising into the skies once more. It was only as they flew away though, that Starling realised she _still_ hadn't made any progress decoding the map. She gave a groan as she slammed her head onto the table in front of her in frustration

* * *

 **And that's a wrap**

 **Heh guys, Stormhawk fan SHhype here, sorry about earlier, and my thanks to Piper for taking over the intro, this one was a tough one to complete, it really shouldn't have been so difficult, but it was (sighs). Anyway, done now, so I can finally relax**

 **I'm sorry to say that the next chapter won't be out for a while, I need a break after this one, I may _possibly_ do chp6 for Stellaris next, and then proceed in an alternating fashion, but we'll see**

 **Still, rather than a set back, I'd like to see this as an opportunity, as this chapter marks the end of the first third of _'The Storm and the Hawk'_ , the whole gang is together now, Piper, Aerrow, Starling, Lark, Junko, Stork, Dove, Finn and Radarr, the crew of the _Condor_ for this story. Now we move into the second third, which is where I planned our heros to meet various characters from the cannon series**

 **Some of these characters will help them, some will hinder them, I won't say who does what, but I can tell you who I've already planned to have. We have the Rex Guardians, Triton of the Neck deeps, as well as Dove's family and her Terra's squadron the Rebel Ducks, the Interceptors will also be making an appearance, but won't be meeting our heros till the final third  
**

 **As I was writing this chapter though, I felt myself wondering, was this enough? So since I'm putting this story on the back burner for now, I'd like you guys to give me you're opinion. Should I include more characters from the cannon show, if so, who? and in what context? Let me know in you're reviews, or PM me, and as always, constructive criticism is welcome**

 **French Translations**

 **terrifiant = Creepy  
**

 **genial = great (in this context, it has other translations)  
**

 **commande = ordered (google gives me order, but I originally asked what the french word for 'ordered' was, and it gave me the same thing as the french word for order)  
**

 **Mon Dieu = My God  
**

 **Pour l'amour de Dieu = For God's sake (could have sworn this was 'for the love of god' last time, argh french, never liked the language, sounds lovely, never could get my head around it though)  
**

 **mignon petit gars = cute little guy  
**

 **Oui = yes (why do I even feel the need to put this one here)  
**

 **and there we have it, hope guys enjoyed, remember, views and reviews keep the inspiration flowing, and as always, constructive criticism is welcome, see you all next time ; )**


	14. Chp13: Tritonn of the Neck Deeps, Part 1

****DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters, locations, equipment etc used in this story, it exists purely because I want it to****

 ** ** **WARNING: This Story contain themes of violence, torture, segregation, slavery and death (not necessarily in that order). Graphic content has been kept to a minimum to avoid M rating, even so, viewer discretion is advised******

 **WARNING, INCOMING INDEPENDENCE DAY REFERENCE!**

 **(Stormhawk fan SHhype flies in piloting a F/A-18 Fighter jet) HELLO ALL, I'M BAAAAAAAAAAAACK!  
**

 **(high quality explosion)**

 **Whew, this one took WAY longer than I was expecting it too, then again, I am now on night shifts at work which is a PAIN for writing. Still, chapter done and I've left this hanging for long enough, so lets not waste any more time**

 **The only thing I want to say about this chapter, is we're heading back into darker territory, at least darker compared to last chapter... as for the rest... I want to save that for you guys to discover for yourselves, enjoy ; )**

 ** **Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, Dear Readers all, welcome back to... The Storm and the Hawk****

 ** **P.s. I'm placing the Kestrel Class Cruiser, as the equivalent to modern day Ticonderoga-class Cruisers, with a crew compliment of around 30 officers and 300 enlisted****

* * *

 _ **Chapter 13: Tritonn of the Neck Deeps**_

 _ **Terra Mesa**_

Azula and Zuko landed on Terra Mesa sometime in the evening, and immediately made their way to the Authority centre. The receptionist looked up as they came in, her eyes widening as she took in their appearance

"Yes, can I help you?" she asked, with only a slight tremor to her voice

"We're looking for the man in charge," Azula replied

"Really, and who might you two be," said a gruff voice off to the side. Azula, Zuko and the receptionist glanced off to the side to see a man in his mid forties emerge from the door behind the reception desk. He wore a crisp grey ALF uniform, and had two silver eagles pinned to the shoulders of his uniform, marking him as a Colonel

"Colonel O'Neil, sir," the receptionist said quickly, O'Neil simply raised his hand

"It's alright Barbara, you get back to work, I'll handle this," the receptionist nodded, and returned to work, as Azula and Zuko turned to the Colonel. "I'll ask one more time, who are you and what do you want?"

Azula put on her best diplomatic face, "I' am Azula, this is my brother Zuko, we're agents for the Senate, we've been tracking a group of dissidents that may have passed through here recently."

O'Neil examined the two of them closely, before sighing and opening the gate in the barrier that separated them. "Come with me, we'll talk in my office," he replied

The three of them walked through the main floor of the authority centre, where a multitude of officers were dealing with the various civil problems of keeping a Terra orderly and peaceful. They attracted a few looks as they passed, but for the most part were ignored, the occupants of the room too focused on their work to worry about who their commanding officer was escorting. Then they reached a large office at the back, O'Neil ushered them in, before following and closing the door behind him. He sat down at his desk, and indicated the seats in front of it for the two of them, strangely, only Azula sat, while Zuko stood behind and a little to the side. O'Neil raised an eyebrow at this, but didn't question it, then he focused on Azula

"You're _'dissidents'_ caused quite the mess here just yesterday, in one of the scrap dealers not far from here," O'Neil began

Azula looked at him quizzically, "I haven't even told you who they are yet, are you sure it was them?"

O'Neil gave a small chuckle, "Lady, it doesn't take a genius to know that you're after the kids whose faces are currently plastered all over the core Terra's, the timing is too coincidental, particularly with that reward."

Azula had to give him that one, "Seems we've been rumbled brother," she said, a joking smile on her face, then she turned serious, "And they slipped in right under your nose, before getting away?"

O'Neil shrugged, "I don't know how they got onto the Terra, I asked all my men yesterday if they'd noticed anyone suspicious or strange in the last week, and that included the perimeter patrols."

"And?"

"They all said they hadn't seen anything out of the ordinary, only one man saw anything suspicious, and that was a couple days ago," O'Neil answered

Azula simple gestured for him to continue, "He was patrolling the docks at the time, said he saw someone shady checking out some of the ships down there, but he lost sight of them before he could catch them up."

"Where did he see this individual?" Azula asked, "Specifically."

"He said he lost them around the location of the _Claw_ , that over glorified skimmer platform Repton and his boys use... but we've already sorted that mess," O'Neil stated. At Azula's raised eyebrow, he elaborated, "Apparently, the figure my man saw _was_ one of those kids, and they stole something from the _Claw_. Repton and his boys tracked them down, and they ended up fighting in that dealer I mentioned, in the confusion, the kids managed to escape aboard their ship, even stole some skimmers from the dealer while they were at it."

Azula leaned back, letting out an exasperated sigh, "Did you at least see the direction they were headed?"

O'Neil nodded, "We've got that on record, I'll have the report brought to you, in the meantime, I'd like to note that we increased security after the incident, and tightened the patrols, just in case they came back."

Azula nodded, "Good, very good," she sat forward again, looking directly into O'Neil's eyes, "We'd also like to speak with the man who reported the suspicious activity down on the docks, the owner of the dealer, and Repton himself."

"My man and the dealer I can do, though you probably won't be able to talk to the latter till tomorrow considering the time... Repton on the other hand is more difficult," O'Neil answered

"Why?" Zuko asked, the first word he'd said since they'd met O'Neil

"He's not currently on the Terra, last anyone saw of him and his boys, they'd hopped on their skimmers and gone scouring all the nearby sub-Terras for any sign of their quarry," O'Neil explained

Azula waved a hand, "So be it, just let us know the moment he's back." O'Neil nodded as Azula continued, "For now, we'll talk with the soldier from the docks, and then we'd like you to bring the Peregrines here please."

Now O'Neil started, "The Peregrines, why do you want to speak to them?"

"We have questions, regarding their daughter," Azula answered cryptically

O'Neil shook his head, "I can't believe Piper is mixed up in all this, she was such a sweet girl... I knew her you know, personally, I'm a friend of the family, it's tearing her parents up, not knowing what's happening... not knowing whether their daughter is complicit in all this... or is being coerced somehow."

Azula inwardly smiled, "I'm afraid she is complicit Colonel."

O'Neil's head snapped up at that, staring Azula in the eye, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Azula sat back, adopting a sorrowful look, "My Brother and I found the wrecks of three ALF cruisers five days ago, from the black boxes we were able to recover, they had cornered the group of dissidents that Piper has fallen in with."

O'Neil's face had transformed to one of abject horror, "Three cruisers... how did they bring down _three_ cruisers?"

Azula looked up here and met his eye, her face a mask of fear, "They used the _'Binding'_."

All of the colour drained from O'Neil's face, he might not be capable of crystal magecraft himself, but as a military officer, he had to know the specifics of it. One of which, was that _both_ parties involved in a 'Binding', needed to be willing

Azula continued as O'Neil just stared ahead in shock, "From what we were able to piece together, Piper and one of the dangerous youths that she helped free, used Firebolt crystals to power up. We're not sure which one bound the energy and which one actually used it, but we do know from our intelligence, that they are the _only_ crystal mages aboard that ship of theirs, so it _had_ to be them."

O'Neil leaned forward on his desk, his head in his hands, when he spoke; his voice was barely a whisper, "How many?"

"They were Kestrel class cruisers, full crew compliments, all hands lost, for each," Azula replied

O'Neil gritted his teeth, _Why Piper, why do this, what madness could have compelled you to this, to work with Cyclonians, to kill for them?_

As these thoughts tormented O'Neil, Azula sat back, admiring her handiwork. They couldn't afford to kill anyone on the Terra, it would raise too many questions, but blaming the destruction of three ALF cruisers and the death of their crews on their quarry, would not only draw suspicion away from herself and her brother, but would also aid their mission. The more pressure their quarry was under, the faster they would try to find the resistance, and the sooner their master's plan would come to fruition

Finally, O'Neil sat back up, and Azula made sure to craft her expression into one of remorse once again. "I'll see to your requests immediately," he said, before standing, and heading for the door, which he opened for them. Nodding, Azula stood and walked out, Zuko following

As they made their way back through the room towards the reception, Azula spoke, "I think it is time we gave Master Long Feng a progress report." Zuko did not argue, instead following silently behind

* * *

 _ **Unnamed Terra, somewhere on the outer edge of the core Terras, the next day**_

Starling growled with frustration as she glared at the screen in front of her. The file that held the map was heavily encrypted; Grandmother had certainly decided that caution was paramount after what had happened nine years ago. Unfortunately, this meant Starling was on the verge of trying to tear her hair out in her attempts to decipher the code and open the map, giving them the location of the Cyclonian resistance

"How's it going?"

Starling glanced behind her, to see Aerrow standing over her shoulder, staring at the screen himself, Radarr perched on his good shoulder, while the other showed a bulge under the jumpsuit where his bandages were. The little guy now wore his own little jumpsuit, which Piper had made herself from some spare material they'd had lying around the ship, he was decked out in a blue shirt and shorts, with some cloth wraps around his wrists and ankles, and a small backpack in which he kept a variety of objects

Starling turned back to glare at the screen, "It's not, Grandmother has gone and changed a lot of the ciphers we used, so now I'm having to work it out from scratch... still, can't blame her for being cautious."

Aerrow leaned himself against the side of the console where Starling was working, "You need a hand?"

Starling shook her head, "No thanks, wouldn't do much good anyway, unless they started teaching code breaking in the Atmosian curriculum when I wasn't looking?"

Aerrow gained a sheepish look there, "Okay, fair point, still, you look like you could use a break, Piper and Lark are getting lunch ready if you're interested?"

Starling was about to refuse, when her stomach suddenly growled at the mention of food, reminding her she'd skipped breakfast today. "Actually, that sounds like a great idea," Aerrow smiled at that as she stood and they made their way to the kitchen

* * *

"I still don't get how you can eat all of that and still be hungry Junko," Lark exclaimed as Junko polished off yet another serving of the casserole she and Piper had made, and was now holding out his plate for another

"What can I say, I like my grub," Junko chuckled

That got a laugh from everyone, before Dove turned to a morose Starling, "Still no luck with the map?"

Starling sighed despondently, "I've got some of the more basic codes cracked, which means I have partial access to the file, but I can't get past the others, its driving me up the wall."

"I thought you said you knew all the codes that the resistance used?" Lark questioned

"Yeah, nine years ago, it looks like Grandmother has gone and changed most of them during that time," Starling answered, stabbing her casserole angrily

"Great, so now what?" Finn asked, his empty plate in front of him, as he cleaned his crossbow

"Well we have some agents of Long Feng on our tail, as well as a band of Raptor bounty hunters who currently want to mount our heads on their rides. We have no way to find or contact the resistance, and ALF ships are combing the Atmos looking for us... does that about sum it up," Stork replied deadpan. Everyone turned and gave him a 'really' look, before he continued, "Oh that's right, I almost forgot, our engines are also running on substandard parts and could give out on us at any time."

"Stork, not helping," Piper chided

"He has a point though, what are we going to do?" Aerrow asked

Starling sighed and turned to Junko, "How's work on those engine parts coming?"

Junko finished off his current serving of casserole before answering, "We're getting there, luckily all our designs were already uploaded to the ship's mainframe, all we need is some specialist materials and we're good."

"That's something at least," Starling sighed, "As for locating the resistance, we're just going to have to keep at it, and keep moving further away from Atmosia. The further we get, the more likely it is we'll run into another team, who can either escort us back, or their leader can give us the new ciphers, either way works."

"What about cracking it on our own, in case we don't find anyone?" Piper asked

Starling sat back, casserole abandoned, "We'll need a code breaker, I can't crack the new ciphers without one, problem is, the Senate outlawed them years ago, and had ALF gather up any they could find and destroy them." Seeing Junko's hungry gaze locked on her half eaten casserole, Starling pushed it towards him, he eagerly snatched it up

"Well good luck with that then, what are the chances of us finding one," Lark said, as she finished her own plate

Aerrow frowned for a moment, before glancing to Radarr, "Heh buddy, could you go grab the Terra map?" Radarr nodded, and shot off instantly

"Aerrow?" Piper asked, confused

Aerrow didn't respond, waiting for Radarr to come back, a few moments later, Radarr came running back in, map clutched in one hand. "Thanks buddy," Aerrow said, as he cleared some space on the table, before laying the map out, staring hard at it

"You got something Aerrow?" Starling asked, leaning forward, interested

"Maybe, I remember Dad once saying that all Skyknight squadrons were outfitted with code breakers, to better gather intelligence on Cyclonian operations during the war," Aerrow said

"How does that help us?" Dove asked

"Yea man, those things have gotta be about three decades old now, would they even still work?" Finn added

"Any Skyknight squadron worth their salt would have kept their code breaker up to date, even after the war," Piper stated

Aerrow nodded, "And not all Skyknight squadrons agreed with the Senate, so some may have kept their code breakers, hiding them."

Starling's eyes widened as she realised where Aerrow was going with this, "Your suggesting we steal from a Skyknight squadron?"

"If I'm right, we may not have to," Aerrow replied, scanning the map, "Last I heard, there was an old Skyknight base not far from here."

"Where?" Lark asked

Aerrow suddenly smiled, as he found what he was looking for, "Right there," he declared, pointing at a particular Terra on the map

"Terra Aquanos?" Junko said, confused

Aerrow nodded, "Home of the now defunct Neck Deeps, the squadron was disbanded years ago, but their base might still be there, perhaps with a code breaker inside."

Starling stared at the Terra as well, it was right on the edge of the Core Terras, and was also a main shipping port between the core and outer Terras. "It's going to have a heavy ALF defence compliment, and there isn't much cover to hide an approach, we'd have a hard time reaching the Terra undetected," she said

"True," Piper agreed, "But we don't have to go there directly."

All eyes turned to her now, but it was Finn, who spoke next, "That's right; freighters go in and out of Aquanos all the time."

"My point precisely Finn," Piper said smiling, "We could land on a smaller, less heavily defended Terra. Stork and Junko could remain behind with the _Condor_ to protect it, and continue work on the engines, having them in reserve could also help if we need a quick getaway. In the meantime, the rest of us sneak into the nearest settlement and get passage aboard a freighter bound for Aquanos. Once we reach Aquanos we search for the base, and once we're done, we just hop on a freighter straight back where we came from."

Starling sat back in thought for a moment, "It's risky, but then again, so is everything else we've done so far, and if the old Neck Deep's base does have a code breaker, it would definitely be worth it... the only problem..."

"Customs control," Lark finished as Starling trailed off

Starling nodded, "Wouldn't be so much of a problem on the smaller Terra, security is more lax on the smaller ones... but a big Terra like Aquanos, and a major shipping port at that, security will be almost air tight, one look at our faces and its game over."

"Does anyone have any other ideas?" Aerrow asked

At the answering silence, Starling made her decision, "Alright, let's do this, it's worth a shot, and if things do go south, we'll call for extraction." Junko and Stork nodded at the last part, then Piper spoke up

"I do think we have some Chroma Crystals that Lark and I managed to snag back on Mesa, they're not full proof disguises but they should be enough to fool ALF foot soldiers."

Starling nodded, "Stork, plot a course to the nearest Terra with a shipping port to Aquanos; let's go get us a code breaker."

"Aye aye Commander."

* * *

 _ **Terra Atmosia**_

Long Feng was enjoying lunch, when his phone began ringing, he checked the number before answering, "Report."

"We're currently on Terra Mesa following the _Condor's_ trail, we've posed as Senate agents to the local security forces and we'll be gathering information before moving on, additionally there's a bounty hunter in the area we'd like to have a _word_ with before we leave," came Azula's voice on the other end

"Have they made it back to the resistance yet?" Long Feng asked as he took another bite of his foie gras

"Not yet, but they did pick up supplies from a downed Cyclonian transport not long after leaving Atmosia. From what we were able to recover from the ship's computer, it seems said transport was part of a larger force that the _Condor_ intended to rendezvous with, that plan was scuppered however by Murk Raiders chasing the bounty the Senate put out."

Long Feng took a long, shuddering breath, _so close, they'd been so close, damm the Senate_. "Fine, just continue following them for now, see if you can apply some extra pressure. I highly doubt Starling has figured the game out yet, even if their aware of you, they'll probably believe you're out to capture them, use that."

"Understood, we'll continue the pursuit then," Azula answered, "We'll report in when we have some more pertinent information."

"Very good," Long Feng stated, before hanging up, and staring at the young man sitting across from him. Ace's face was gaunt and haunted, staring at the plate of food in front of him, "You should eat, Subject A, you need to keep your strength up after all," as Long Feng spoke, he took another bite of his meal

Ace just stared, his eyes unseeing, "It's poisoned," he said robotically

Long Feng smirked, "If I wanted to kill you, you'd have been dead days ago," he took a sip of wine as he finished speaking, never taking his eyes off Ace. This was the most dangerous part of the indoctrination process, Ace was unshackled and they were alone, if Long Feng wasn't careful, Ace would kill him. "You must eat Subject A, all beings must eat," as Long Feng spoke, he saw Ace's tongue dart out to wet his lips, and heard a low growl from his stomach. The key to this little exercise, was tricking the subject's mind into thinking that Long Feng was its sole provider of sustenance. Once that mindset had been established, the subject would become like a well trained dog, refusing to bite the hand that feeds it. The moment Ace accepted the plate of food in front of him, the food Long Feng had placed there, the first step would be complete

Slowly, reluctantly, Ace reached out for the food. Long Feng watched with tense anticipation, his eyes never once leaving his new subject. So it was something of a surprise for Long Feng when he suddenly found himself, pinned against the wall of the cell, a knife to his throat. As he stared into Ace's dark red eyes, he saw a feral fury in them, an anger and rage that burned bright and hot, _oh yes, this one had great potential_

"Now now Subject A, there's no need for violence here," Long Feng said calmly, "Put down the knife and release me."

Ace's limbs trembled, Long Feng saw him fighting against the indoctrination through his eyes, Ace _wanted_ to hurt him, not just because he was part of the resistance, but also an actual _desire_ for violence. "I do believe I gave you an order, Subject A. Let. Me. Go!"

That did it, Ace released Long Feng, stepping back, the knife clattering to the floor. As the metallic noise echoed through the room, the cell door opened, admitting two ALF guards. "Seems you need some more time," Long Feng said as the guards began clearing the table, taking away Ace's untouched plate of food. "That's fine, until Starling makes it back to the resistance with Subject C, I have all the time in the world."

With that, Long Feng strode from the room, leaving Ace standing there. Shortly after the door closed, Ace began to scream and roar, with rage, anger and frustration, picking up the chair Long Feng had been sitting in, and smashing it repeatedly against the section of wall where he'd been pinning Long Feng. Long Feng listened to the racket as he walked down the corridor

 _Almost, he's almost there, just a little more, and he's mine_

* * *

 _ **Terra Mesa**_

Azula was reading the reports that Colonel O'Neil had sent her from his men; they were all standard reports, nothing out of the ordinary. The one that truly interested her, was the one concerning the altercation at the dealer. After the incident with the cruisers, Azula had expected Subject C to be more liberal with her powers, and for the group she was with to use them to get what they wanted. That however, did not seem to be the case, indeed, rather than using the demigod that was now in their possession, all indications seemed to be they were treating her as a normal human being, and trying to get her to act as such. Azula scoffed at the idea, Subject C was as human as her brother now was, nothing but a tool, a weapon, and the sooner Starling realised that, the easier this would be for her

Azula was pulled from her musings by the door opening, through it walked O'Neil, and the owner of the dealer in question. "Thank you Colonel, that will be all," Azula said, sitting up and placing the report to one side. The Colonel saluted, before marching out, once he was gone, Azula turned to the rather nervous looking dealer

"I-I didn't do anything wrong, i-if anything, I'm the victim here," he stammered, his forehead coated in a sheen of sweat

Azula raised a hand, "I just have some follow up questions my good man, then you're free to go."

The dealer licked his lips, glancing nervously at Zuko, who as always, stood attendant at Azula's shoulder, but nodded all the same. "Good, first off, did nothing about the group who visited your place of business on the day in question strike you as, off?"

"Only that they were wearing hoods, but I get customers like that sometimes, people who don't want to be recognised for various reasons," the man replied

"How about the fact they're mostly children?"

The man shrugged here, "Honestly, if they've got the cash, and know how to use the equipment I sell, I don't much care about their age. They all seemed well versed so I didn't see a problem."

Azula sat back in thought for a moment, then slid a photograph of a hooded Subject C towards the man. "You recognise her?"

The man nodded, "Yes, she and another girl stole crystal mage staffs."

"Did she at any point use her abilities, beyond what's been described in the reports?"

The man shook his head, "Not that I could see, just those concussive blasts that sent the Raptors flying... I did think I saw some sparks ignite around her hands though, just before the fight, but it was a split second, probably just my imagination."

Azula sighed, this man knew nothing, which was both a relief, and an annoyance. A relief because it meant they wouldn't have to buy his silence, and an annoyance because it did not help their mission. "Thank you, that will be all," Azula said, waving the man to the door. The man in question got up, his face a picture of relief, and quickly left. Only once he was gone, did Azula speak, "Seems we wasted our time here brother, their lead is getting better on us by the minute and no one here as any useful information."

"Haven't we learned a lot from this though, we know they're not utilising her powers for one," Zuko replied, tonelessly

Azula nodded, "True, but beyond that not much else, and the information will not be useful until we've caught up to them," she sighed despondently. She was just about to pack up, when the door opened again, this time admitting one of O'Neil's men

The man saluted as he entered the room, "Begging your pardon Ma'am, but Repton and his boys just got back, the Colonel is bringing Repton in as we speak, also the Peregrines are here."

Azula perked up at this, Repton would have more up to date information, and the Peregrines were a chance to learn more about the unique variable in their Master's plans, namely, Piper Peregrine. "Bring Repton here first, I'll speak to the Peregrines afterwards, but keep them comfortable, I imagine they've been through a lot this last week and a half."

"Yes Ma'am!" the soldier answered, saluting again, before marching out

"Perhaps this won't have been such a waste after all," Azula mumbled, as she got the files around her organised. She had just finished, when O'Neil returned, with two of his men dragging a cuffed and rather irate looking Repton through the door. The moment he saw Azula, he immediately stopped struggling, and his face gained a rictus of terror, he knew them then, or at least, he knew what they represented, good, that terror would loosen his forked tongue. "Please, have a seat," Azula said, smiling sweetly, but with venom coating her words, Azula hated bounty hunters almost as much as pirates

"N-now see here, those brats stole from me, I-I was only trying to recover what was mine, n-nothing more," Repton stammered, his eyes trembling in their sockets

"And so long as you cooperate, then you have nothing to fear, I imagine the cuffs and rough treatment on the Colonel's part was a direct result of you _not_ cooperating?" Azula replied, with a quick glance in the Colonel's direction at the end, who just gave a small smirk as he leaned against the wall. Azula then turned back to Repton, "Besides, I'm not interested in what happened at the dealer, I already have more than enough information on that... what I wish to know is whether or not you managed to catch up to the aforementioned _'brats'_ , and if you know where they are now?"

The change was instantaneous, one moment, Repton looked to be pissing himself with fear, the next, his spine hardened, that told Azula one thing. _He did find them, and doesn't want to lose his bounty, just like Scabulous_

"We swept the area, but didn't find anything, we returned to Mesa to refuel and to collect the _Claw_ so we could widen our search," Repton replied, putting on his best poker face as he did

It wasn't quite good enough to fool Azula, "Oh really." She got up and walked around the table, standing over Repton. The Raptor gazed up at her, doing a good job of hiding the fear that was shimmering just behind his eyes. Azula then reached down, and plucked something from between the plates of his scales, and the leather armour he was wearing. It was a leaf

"What is this then, hmm?" she asked, examining it

"It's a leaf, what of it, me and my men were combing every nearby Terra for those brats, it's not exactly clean work," Repton growled, but behind it was a tremor that was easy to pick out

"Ah yes, but you see, it's been my experience that you only descend to a Terra, when you've found something of interest, otherwise, you stay in the sky, as it provides the best vantage point. Therefore, you _did_ find something worthy enough of your interest to descend from the sky... so I'll ask again. _Where_ did you last see them, and in _what_ direction were they headed?"

Repton's forked tongue flicked out nervously, but he remained stubbornly silent. Azula sighed, "You try my patience Raptor," she said, and snapped her fingers. Instantly, Zuko moved forward, and before the Colonel or his men could react, Zuko had slugged Repton. Azula held up a hand as the Colonel and his men took a step, stopping them while also ordering Zuko to wait. Repton meanwhile shook his head groggily, blood already trickling from his mouth. "We can do this all day if you wish Raptor, or you can tell me what I want to know," Azula stated

Repton coughed, before looking up at Azula, his eyes no longer filled with fear, instead, burning with rage, "Burn in the wastelands, you bit-ARGH!" Repton's growl was cut off as Zuko slugged him again

"Agent Azula!" the Colonel exclaimed from behind her

She didn't even turn to face him as she replied, "Sometimes Colonel, a measure of force is required to draw out a confession, especially from scum like this one." Azula then stalked forward, and grabbed Repton's lower jaw in a vice like grip. "I will ask one more time, you're answer will determine your health for the foreseeable future... am I clear?"

Repton met her gaze, and as he did, some of the fear returned, as he gazed into the cold and emotionless pits that were Azula's eyes. Finally, his resolve broke, "Alright, alright, I'll tell you... we spotted them on a small Terra not far from here. When we got to them, we found they had somehow damaged their engines, because most of them had left to get parts for repairs. We attempted to take the ship, but the few left behind, ran rings round us, and managed to catapult us from the bridge using some sort of spring loaded trap. By the time we recovered, the others had returned and they had made the ship sky worthy again. Last we saw them, they were headed north, that's all I know I swear."

Azula smiled sweetly, "There, now was that so hard," she then turned to the Colonel, "You can release him, I'm done with him." The Colonel nodded, and his men un-cuffed Repton, and helped him to his feet, before guiding him to the door. Just as they reached it, Azula called out, "And Repton, I hope I do not need to impress on you the fact to keep any details you may have witnessed to yourself... unless you _want_ my brother to come find you?"

Repton glanced between her and the expressionless Zuko, before gulping and nodding, "I understand," he replied

Azula smiled back, "Good." With that, she turned back to the reports as Repton was taken away. The moment the door closed, the Colonel was up in her face

"What in the wastelands was that!?" he demanded

"As I said, sometimes a show of force is required... your concern, while admirable, is unnecessary, I would not have killed him, perhaps put him the hospital for a few months, but he would have lived."

The Colonel grit his teeth, "What you did was borderline torture, what, were you going to declaw him next if he didn't talk?"

"Hmm," Azula mused, "That's not bad actually, Zuko, keep a note of it for next time."

Zuko merely nodded, while the Colonel stared at them incredulously, "Just who in the wastelands _are_ you people?" he breathed

Azula sat back in her chair, staring at the man seriously, "Colonel, _you're_ job is to keep people safe, _my_ job is to extract information, by whatever means necessary. If you find that distasteful, then might I suggest you be absent for it?"

Colonel O'Neil stared at her, then at Zuko, who was now once again, standing at his sister's shoulder, completely ignoring the blood on his knuckles from where he'd punched Repton. At that point, O'Neil made a decision, to get these two off his Terra as quickly as possible, that meant giving them what they wanted, a lead on their quarry. As much as he hated the thought of sending these two after Piper, O'Neil currently had others to think about. "Will there be anything else Ma'am?"

"Send the Peregrines in, then I want you to locate the Terra where Repton had his run in with the fugitives, and plot they're mostly likely course on the heading they took," Azula replied, not looking up from the reports she was organising

O'Neil saluted, "Right away, Ma'am," he replied, before marching out. One way, or another, he was getting these two off his Terra

* * *

 _ **Terra Cordila, freighter port**_

"And you're sure you two can manage on your own, and bring in the _Condor_ quickly if needed?" Starling asked

Junko waved a hand, "You've got nothing to worry about Starling, we got this."

"It'll certainly be easier to fix the _Condor_ without destructive Crystal Mages and Lemur Rabbits on board," Stork said, while glowering at Lark and Radarr, both of whom gained sheepish looks

The others all chuckled at that as Starling replied, "Well okay then, still, if there are any problems, or you run into trouble, call us and we'll come running."

Junko and Stork both nodded, "Understood," Junko said, before gesturing towards the freighter that was preparing to leave, "Now go on, or you'll miss your flight."

"Junko's right, let's go," Finn said, slinging his crossbow over one shoulder and rushing towards the freighter. Piper had to admit, it looked odd seeing her childhood friend with brown hair, and he personally hated it, but the disguise was necessary for the mission to succeed. She herself now had red hair, while Aerrow was now a blond, Dove and Starling had switched colours, and Lark had also turned blond. Lark had actually gone the extra mile, seeing as it was her the Senate and Long Feng were after, by creating a cloaking crystal during their journey here. Not only was her hair blond, but it was also fashioned into two pigtails either side of her head, her skin wasn't as pale as it had been, and she also had freckles dusting her face. The girls had followed Lark's example and styled their hair a little differently to how they normally would. Piper had forgone her usual headband, letting her hair hang down around her head, rather than be held up. Starling had fashioned her's into a bun at the back of her head, while Dove had brushed her's all to one side of her head, rather than let it hang loose

The boys couldn't really do anything different with their hair, but there were other things. Partially due to his hatred of the colour, as well as a need to go unrecognised, Finn had donned a cap, while Aerrow now wore a head band of his own, to keep the fringe out of his eyes. The only one who didn't need a disguise was Radarr, seeing as the only ones who knew of him were Repton and his boys, and they rather doubted the little Lemur Rabbit would be a detail they'd remember enough to share. They quickly followed after Finn, presenting their tickets to the man at the gangplank, before lining up along the railing and waving back to Junko and Stork. Shortly after they boarded, the gangplank was raised up, and the freighter detached from the pontoon, rising into the sky, and making its way to Terra Aquanos, which they could see in the distance, surrounded by ALF cruisers

"Oh yea, their doomed," Stork said, as he and Junko waved back, earning him an elbow from Junko as he said it

* * *

 _ **Terra Mesa, Authority centre**_

The Peregrines were you're average Atmosian couple; there wasn't anything particularly special about them. Ren Peregrine worked in one of the administrative offices for one of the many mining guilds, while Cecilia Peregrine worked as a nurse at the local hospital. Or rather, they _did_ , currently they were both on an extended leave of absence, in order to keep them out of the media's line of fire, and subsequently, the common people. While Mesa did not harbour a hatred for Cyclonians, per say, its people did have a poor view on anyone who disrupted the peace. The Cyclonian resistance had certainly fallen into that category, and now, so had Piper

Both parents had entered in quietly, Cecilia seemed to be clutching something, it looked to Azula to be a picture frame. As the Peregrines sat, she held out her hand. "May I?"

Off to the side, O'Neil kept a close watch on Azula. He wasn't about to let this agent harm the Peregrines, just because of their daughter. In the next room, he also had men questioning Repton, to figure out more exact coordinates for the _Condor_ so he could get this woman and her brother off his Terra

Cecilia looked up at Azula, then down at the picture frame, before tentatively holding it out. Azula took the frame, and turned it around so she could see. It was a picture of Piper, probably from about five years ago, just before she left for the Academy. She was smiling with her parents, who stood either side of her, her Crystal Mage scholarship, held proudly in front of her. "She seems like a good kid, you must be very proud of her," Azula said, watching the Peregrine's reaction out the corner of her eye

Both of them flinched slightly, Cecilia sunk a little deeper into her chair, before Ren spoke. "We were... now... we don't know how to feel about all this."

Azula handed back the picture, which Cecilia took gratefully, "Really, then tell me, neither of you saw this coming from her?"

"No," Ren retorted, "She was a good, kind girl, honest, caring, she would never do something like this... the Cyclonians have to be behind this, I'm sure of it!"

"What makes you so sure?"

"Piper was our baby, we raised her, for ten years we raised her, cared for her. She was sweet, funny, had a big heart and always looked out for others. She would _never_ agree to lie, cheat or steal or... or..." Cecilia trailed off as tears began running down her cheeks

"Kill," Zuko finished, causing the floodgates to open and Cecilia to break down

Ren turned to comfort his wife, but had tears of his own, threatening to spill, then he turned back to Azula as she spoke. "How can you be sure of that, you haven't seen her in five years?"

"She wrote, every week, and nothing in her letters suggested she'd changed in any way," Ren replied crisply

"Nothing?" Azula pressed

Ren went to open his mouth, then closed it as a thought crossed his mind, "The only thing I can think of, is that two years into her time at the Academy, she begins mentioning someone by the name of, 'Starling Swiftflight', that Cyclonian who lead the breakout, and now has our daughter."

"Do you think this, 'Swiftflight', might have somehow convinced Piper to join the Cyclonians?"

Ren immediately began shaking his head, "No, there was nothing at all to suggest she'd changed beyond mentioning that girl... besides... Piper has a big heart, she makes friends all the time... and while we were a little concerned about this friend being a Cyclonian, we knew Piper wouldn't offer her friendship without reason."

Azula frowned, "Had Piper ever displayed any signs of displeasure with the current administration, any indication that she disagreed with the Senate and its policies?"

"She was a sweet girl, with a big heart, she showed kindness and compassion to everyone she met," Cecilia sobbed

"She never expressed any, 'discontent', with the way the Senate did things, at least not openly, and certainly not to us. She did feel changes needed to be made however," Ren added

"Changes?"

"Yes, after meeting Starling, she began telling us in her letters how she was considering pursuing a career in law or politics. She believed everyone had a right to an equal say, even the Cyclonians," Ren explained

"I see, at least she was pursuing such change legally... so what do you think prompted her to change course?"

"We don't know, when we got the phone call from the Academy about what happened, we were shocked, stunned," Ren replied

"We went straight to the authorities to try and fix things," Cecilia said, before looking in O'Neil's direction, "Straight to our old friend."

Azula glanced at O'Neil out the corner of her eye, but said nothing of it. Then she turned back to them. "What about her abilities, did she update you on them?"

Ren nodded, "Yes, all the time, anytime she mastered something new, she'd write to us about it."

"What about... the 'Binding'?"

Both parents froze, which meant they knew what the binding was, but they hadn't heard it from Piper, if the looks of abject horror on their faces was any indication. "T-the, B-Binding," Cecilia stammered, her form trembling

Azula did now look in O'Neil's direction, "You didn't tell them?"

Ren's head snapped to the man "Tell us what!?"

"You're daughter performed a 'Binding', with another Crystal mage, on an unnamed Terra not far from here, which they used to destroy three ALF Kestrel Class Cruisers," Azula explained

"NO, NOT MY PIPER, SHE WOULD NEVER!" Cecilia screamed

"I'm sorry, but it's the truth."

Cecilia could take no more, and broke down into a hysterical sobbing fit, as Ren tried desperately to calm her down. O'Neil stood up straight, and marched over, "This has gone far enough Azula, they've been through enough without you adding to their pain."

"Their daughter is a traitor to the Republic, is cavorting with Cyclonians, our sworn enemy, and has already – at the very least – aided in the destruction of three ALF Cruisers, and extinguishing the lives of their crew."

At Azula's words, Cecilia let out another wail

"By all rights, when she is caught, she will be tried, most likely found guilty, and executed, along with the rest of the dissidents she is now running with."

A third wail accompanied the word 'executed'

"There is no way to sugar coat this, and the more information I have, the easier my job becomes in finding out who is guilty and who isn't," Azula finished

O'Neil gritted his teeth, before stepping back, cowed

Azula, then turned back to the Peregrines, a kindly smile gracing her face, "If what you've told me is true, then there's a chance I may be able to save Piper. Before I can do that however, I need information, anything and everything you can tell me about her, so that I can build a picture of what she must have been going through when she made this decision, and find out if she truly is acting out of her own free will or not."

Ren and Cecilia stared at her for a long moment, before Ren finally spoke. "You can save her?" he croaked. Azula simply nodded. Ren and Cecilia glanced at one another, and the moment Azula saw the look that passed between them, she knew she had them. She'd shown them the worst case scenario, while stating that it was the _most likely_ scenario that would come true. And now, she'd just offered a way out... how could they possibly resist

* * *

O'Neil stomped out of the room as Ren and Cecilia gave Azula what she wanted. This whole situation felt wrong, he thought back to the bright eyed little girl who'd left this Terra, to go and learn at the most prestigious Academy in the Atmos. That image of Piper, just didn't fit in his head with what he was being told she'd become

 _It has been five years, a lot can change... but still..._ O'Neil's thoughts trailed off as he slumped against the wall. Then something caught his eye. It was Repton, in the next room with his men, hunched over a map, trying to find where Piper and her friends had gone. _Repton was the last person to see them..._ _ **Repton**_ _was the last person to_ _ **see**_ _them..._ _ **and live!**_

O'Neil burst into the room before the thought had even finished, and marched straight up to Repton. The raptor had heard him enter, and now stared nervously at him, as O'Neil got in his face. "Why are you alive Repton!?"

Repton frowned, confused, "I'm sorry?"

"So far, the news has reported that, _everyone_ , Piper and her friends have come across has died, first Scabulous and his band of brigands, then three Kestrel Class Cruisers. But not _you_ , why!?"

Repton's frown deepened, as he processed this information himself, then, slowly, realisation crept onto his scaled visage. Because O'Neil was correct, the kids had plenty of opportunities to kill him, but hadn't. "That- that doesn't make any sense," he breathed

"Exactly," O'Neil answered, "So here's what's going to happen, when you're done giving my men all the information that Agent Azula requested. You and your men, are going to investigate the Terra where she said the Cruisers were destroyed, and you will find out the truth."

Repton frowned again, "Oh, and what exactly is in it for me?"

"Do this, and not only will I wipe the slate, I will fully compensate you for everything those kids stole, in return however, you drop you're vendetta with them."

Repton barked a harsh laugh, "You must think I'm crazy old man, first off, if I worked for you, my credibility as a bounty hunter goes down the toilet, I'll be the laughing stock of every bounty hunter in the Atmos. Second, that state of affairs will be exasperated if I let those kids get away with what they did to me... so no deal."

O'Neil now gave Repton a dark smile, which instantly put the raptor on edge. "Fine then, we can always go back into Azula's room and tell her you haven't been entirely truthful with us?"

Repton's eyes widened in terror, before he got control and gave O'Neil a glare, "You're an evil man Jack."

* * *

 _ **Terra Aquanos, Freighter port**_

The Freighter port of Terra Aquanos was larger, busier, and more active than any trading port any of them had ever been too. Everywhere they looked, something was happening, people were rushing to and fro, security looked on, over it all. There were ALF troopers _everywhere_ , they couldn't walk three metres without spotting a pair of them, and they were all on high alert as well

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea," Piper whispered, as they passed yet another pair of troopers, who stared after their group, before turning to examine something else

"No turning back now, we're committed," Starling replied, as the seven of them neared the security stands, which they needed to pass through in order to exit the Freighter port. Each booth was manned by an ALF agent, and the entire area was watched by about a dozen troopers. And if that wasn't bad enough, a line of wanted posters hung above the booths, dead centre, with the freshest paper, were their own

"Oh come on, is that all I'm worth?" Finn hissed, as he saw the paltry bounty on his own poster

"You did, only join us after Terra Mesa," Lark noted

"Oui, and you haven't really done anything else to attract their attention yet, we're the ones who raided and fled a secret military facility," Dove added

"Hush up guys, remember, we need to be inconspicuous," Starling chided, as they were called forward to one of the booths

The woman sitting in the booth looked to be in her mid to late forties, had brown mouse coloured hair, and blue eyes. She was dressed in a typical grey ALF uniform, and had half rimmed spectacles balanced on her nose. She observed the group of teens as they approached, as did a pair of troopers behind her

"Good afternoon, where are you coming from?" the woman asked

"Terra Cordila," Starling answered, as she handed up the papers they'd gotten drawn up during their journey to Cordila

"Purpose of visit?"

"Here to see relatives, as well as maybe find some work," Starling answered with practiced ease, they'd gone over their cover story a dozen times by now

The woman examined them critically, "You're all related?" she asked, sceptically

Starling nodded, before grabbing Finn by putting her arm over his shoulders, "This lazy bones is my little brother." She then nodded to Lark and Aerrow, "Their cousins on our dad's side." Next was dove, "And she's our cousin on our mother's side."

The woman now looked to Piper, "And her?"

"Adopted," Piper replied with a smile

The woman blinked, taken aback for a moment, then, looked them over once more, before her eyes fell on Radarr, perched on Aerrow's shoulder. "And I take it that's your pet?"

"Yes ma'am," Aerrow answered, while Radarr, stood to attention, giving a crisp salute

The woman gave them one more examination, before turning her eyes to their papers. She then called over one of the security, and spoke quietly with him. Starling felt butterflies erupt in her stomach as she wondered if they'd been found out. The trooper glanced from the papers, to them, then to something hidden behind the desk. He then shook his head, while whispering something to the woman, who nodded in reply. As the trooper returned to his position, while speaking into his radio, the woman turned back to them, a broad smile on her face

"Sorry about that, with the group of dissidents that are currently running around, we have to be careful with any group of youths that come through," she said, while stamping their papers

"It's no problem at all," Starling replied, outwardly calm, but inwardly, heaving a sigh of relief

"Even so, thank you for your patience," she handed back their papers, "Enjoy Terra Aquanos."

"We will, thanks," Starling said, as they moved passed the desk, and towards the exit

All of them started to relax and laugh amongst themselves as they moved further away from the security checkpoint

"That felt, _way_ too close," Lark chuckled

"I know right, I was ready to bolt when she called that trooper over," Aerrow agreed

"Well we made it, now let's go find that base, and then..." but Starling was interrupted as a man in a grey officer's uniform stepped in front of them

"Hello there, might I have a word?" he said, conversationally

Starling felt panic rise in her throat, she forced herself to remain calm, "I'm very sorry sir, but we don't have time, we're expected elsewhere and we've already been held up enough."

"It won't take but a moment," the officer said, as four troopers came and stood at his shoulders. So distracted by the sudden presence of the troopers, they failed to notice the officer pull a resonance crystal from his pocket. The moment Piper and Lark saw it, they knew they'd been rumbled but it was too late. The man activated the crystal, and a wave of energy swept through their group. It had no effect on the others, but for Lark and Piper, it caused an instant migraine as the Officer's own powers, crashed into theirs. "As I suspected, Crystal Mages," he suddenly pulled out a negation crystal, and activated that as well. This one did affect the others, as it instantly reversed the effects of the Chroma crystals, and disrupted Lark's cloaking crystal as well, causing her disguise to flicker

Starling was moving the moment she saw the negation crystal. In one smooth fluid movement, she had drawn her Nun-Chucks from their hiding place inside her sleeve, activated and swung them, into the officer's midsection, winding him, and sending him collapsing back onto the two troopers to the left. In the same instance, Aerrow and Finn had also acted. While unable to draw their weapons yet, they did manage to catch the two troopers on the right off guard. Aerrow hooked his foot, behind the leg of the closest trooper, while Finn, shoulder barged him, sending the poor trooper, tumbling into his comrade. All this, took only a few seconds, and the moment the last trooper hit the ground, Starling had grabbed hold of Lark and took off for the exit, "RUN!"

The others didn't need telling twice, Dove grabbed Piper, while Finn drew his crossbow, and Aerrow his swords, while staying hot on Starling's heels. Around them, the Freighter port had burst into pandemonium. People were running and screaming, trying to get away from the fighting and them, while ALF troopers fought their way through the crowds. Starling was actually grateful there were so many people around, the ALF troopers couldn't risk firing off a shot here, in case they hit a civilian. Once they were outside though, that was a different story, any clear space, was an invitation for ALF to begin shooting, they needed to get off the streets and fast. Starling took only a moment to survey their surroundings once they got outside, and made for the first alley she saw

As they got about halfway across the street, she heard a shout behind them, "On the ground!"

Around them, civilians began diving for the ground, Lark had noticed too, and whipped out a smooth white crystal, gripping it tightly. The shield enveloped them, just as the first shots rang out, flying across the street. Most went wide, as firing on the move was not very accurate, some hit home though, and dissipated across the shield. Starling was fairly certain she heard a chorus of swearing come from the troopers, before they dashed down the alley, and out of sight

* * *

The officer picked himself up with the aid of his men, "Status report!" he barked

"Dissidents escaped down an alley, three squads in pursuit sir," one of the troopers next to him replied

"Get those squads on comms, I want regular updates on the pursuit," the officer ordered

"Yes sir!"

"And lockdown the Terra, ground all outbound ships, and tighten the blockade, they're not leaving this Terra if I have anything to say about it!"

* * *

Starling, Aerrow, Finn, Dove, Piper, Lark and Radarr had been running for almost ten minutes, when Lark tripped up and collapsed to the ground with a cry

"Lark!" Starling exclaimed, quickly turning back to help her, Piper hot on her heels

"I'm fine," Lark growled through gritted teeth, "Scrapped knee, that's all."

As they got her up though, they could see how much she was panting, the rest of them were fairly worn too. "We can't keep this up," Aerrow stated, "We need a place to hide."

"And fast, those ALF troopers are hot on our tail," Finn interjected, gesturing back the way they came, from which they could hear the tramp of combat boots

Starling looked around desperately for some sort of salvation, but there was none. The alley was tight and narrow, with barely any cover or places to hide. Any doors that exited onto the alley, looked heavy and secure, and there were no drains or manhole covers. And to make matters worse, she could hear more approaching enemies coming from the other direction. They were trapped; no way out... no chance. Starling gritted her teeth as bile rose in her throat at the bitter taste of defeat once more

 _No... I will NOT go out like this... if they want a fight... we'll give them one!_

Steeling herself, she turned and readied her Nun-Chucks towards the enemy coming up behind them. "Aerrow, Piper, Dove, you take the guys coming in ahead of us. Finn, Lark and I will handle the ones behind."

The others looked at her like she was crazy for a second, before realisation of their situation sank in, and they too, readied for combat. The tension in the air mounted as they listened to the sounds of ALF troopers closing in. Aerrow's hands tightened around the handles of his blades, Finn's finger brushed lightly over his crossbow's trigger. Lark and Piper held their staves at the ready, while Dove drew the small pistol she'd found in the Cyclonian shuttle armoury after their escape from Atmosia. All of them were ready to fight; even Radarr had adopted a battle stance. Only, the fight never came, for at that exact moment, the ground decided to open up beneath them, plunging them into the darkness below, their cries of shock and surprise cut off, as the alley closed up behind them, leaving it as empty, as before they'd arrived

Seconds after this, two squads of ALF troopers arrived, one from each direction, only to stop and stare at one another in confusion

* * *

"YOU LOST THEM, HOW IN THE WASTELANDS DID YOU LOSE THEM!" the officer roared into the radio, as the squads reported in

"W-we had them cornered in the alley sir, but when the squads linked up, the dissidents were nowhere to be seen."

"Is it possible they got around you!" the officer barked

"N-no sir, they had no way out, we had them trapped, we're not sure exactly what happened or where they went, but we've been scouring the alley and all nearby ones for clues."

The officer gave a tired sigh, "Keep at it, call in air support if you need it, now that they've disappeared they could be anywhere on the Terra, so we now have a lot of ground to cover."

"Yes sir."

The officer hung up, before dragging a hand over his face, he _had_ to find those kids, or at the very least make it possible for a superior to do so. Locking down the Freighter port on a Terra like Aquanos had consequences. If the kids got away, he'd likely get demoted... but if he found them... the rewards were bountiful indeed

* * *

Starling landed with a splash in a fairly deep pool of water, around her she registered the others landing in the water as well, before something wet and furry suddenly latched onto her head. "Argh, Radarr, get off!"

"I got him," Aerrow called swimming over, and carefully prising the little guy off of Starling, while keeping him above the water

"Lemur-Rabbits don't like going in water if they can help it," came Piper's voice from the darkness

"Mon Dieu, he is not the only one, this place sent horrible," Dove exclaimed

"Uh guys... where's Lark?" Finn asked

The silence was deathly, and broken almost instantly as Piper and Starling dived beneath the putrid smelling water. Luckily Lark was still wearing her cloaking crystal, and though inactive, it still gave off a faint glow. Both Starling and Piper made a beeline for it, grabbing an arm each and hauling Lark to the surface

"Light, we need some light, find a way out of here!" Starling cried, the moment she broke the surface

Piper fumbled in her pockets for a moment, before a glow began to emanate from just above them. They all looked up to see a cloaked figure step up to the edge of the pool. "Well now, what be all this then, a family of drowned bilge rats eh?"

The figure pulled back his hood, revealing his face. He was an Aquanosian; he had a ridge of blue grey hair, running along the top of his tall head, with sideburns and a goatee to match. Underneath the cloak, they could see the musculature of a man suited for heavy lifting, or combat, and what looked like a set of old Aquanosian armour

"Heh, could we get a hand please, our friend is in trouble," Aerrow called up

The Aquanosian, turned his lantern in Lark's direction, where Starling – half focused on this possible new threat – was trying to bring Lark around

"Aye, best get the water out her lungs before anything else," he said, before kicking a rope ladder over the side for them

Aerrow quickly swam for it, climbing out with Radarr still perched on his head. Once he was up, he set the little guy down, before turning back to the ladder as Starling and Piper reached it with Lark. They lifted her up as Aerrow reached down to grab her, it was an awkward hold though, and Aerrow almost lost his grip, before the Aquanosian stepped in, helping to haul Lark up to dry land. He then turned Lark on her side, before landing some solid thumps to her back. Lark's reaction was instant; she woke with a start and began coughing up water

Starling had just reached the top as this happened, and rushed to her side, Piper right behind her. "Lark, are you alright?"

"Y-yea," Lark spluttered, "But I'd rather not do that again."

"Sorry lass, thought ya all knew how to swim," the Aquanosian said as he knelt on one knee, opposite Starling and Piper. Lark just waved it off, before hacking up more foul tasting water

Finn and Dove were the last out, and as they stood up, Dove was able to see just what they'd fallen into thanks to the lantern's light. "Pour l'amour de Dieu, I just had these washed!" she cried, as she vainly tried to swipe off the gunk that was now plastered to her jumpsuit

"Oh, that's just brilliant," Finn groaned beside her

The Aquanosian chuckled, "If you'd have preferred I left you up there?"

The silence settled back in again, as the group realised just how close they'd come to being captured. With that cheery thought, Starling sighed, and turned to the Aquanosian. "Thank you, for saving us... but if you don't mind me asking... who are you?"

The Aquanosian chuckled again, "Well lass, that depends on who ye ask... but right here, right now... I' am Commander Tritonn, of the Neck Deeps, Skyknight of Terra Aquanos."

* * *

 **And that's a wrap folks. For the french, I refer you back to previous chapters, I need some new ideas for that, might have to start taking french lessons again (sigh). Anyway, hope you all enjoyed, please review if you have the time, and as always, constructive criticism is welcome**

 **I shall see you all next time ; )**

 **(Post Edit) dang it, I forgot this**

 **Sent Horrible = Smells Horrible**


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